Exorcising the Demon Prosecutor
by AceFangirl
Summary: Sequel to Turnabout Sparks. Spoilers for PW, ME, kind of JFA, possibly AJ and while I'm at it maybe T&T. Rated T because Ace Attorney is. Expect weekly updates for the time being. Miles can admit to himself that he loves Maria, but so far that's as far as he's gotten. Is it even worth pursuing her? After all, who would love a Demon Prosecutor?
1. Chapter 1

**_Alright, it's finally time for the sequel of Turnabout Sparks! I've really been wanting to get to this, I even made the cover art myself. Thank you in advance for reading this, I really appreciate it. This first chapter isn't particularly crucial to the story, it's intended to let you get a feel for what's going on right now and see where everyone stands. Hope you like it._**

**_Just so you know I plan on making this a trilogy. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now enjoy this chapter, and leave a review telling me what you thought._**

Autumn in California was rarely cold, but today the air was crisp and chilled. A frosty wind swept through the streets, seeming to pass through clothing as if it weren't even there. The dull, quiet atmosphere reflected on the city itself; cold and grey.

Miles enjoyed every minute of it. Having spent most of his childhood in Germany, he had learned to adjust to the lower temperatures and even find them pleasurable. The prosecutor had decided to wear a coat rather than a jacket that day, but he still felt the brisk chill. He seemed to be the only one in a decent mood which, he had to admit, was ironic. Miles watched the occasional person shuffle along, bringing their coats up to their faces. He was surprised when he saw a familiar face, glasses and all.

Maria Coldstare was hugging herself, a book wedged between her arms and chest. She wore a thick black overcoat covering most of her body. She quickly paced across the street, and Miles saw a light reflect off her prosecutor's badge. Maria was the only one Miles had ever met who wore that badge, a small detail that made her stick out in his eyes.

_Well, that and she's beautiful. Gah! What am I thinking? _When Miles had realized his feelings for Maria, he had never anticipated how much it would affect him. He found himself talking to her in the hallway much more often, enjoying her company. Yet at the same time, he felt nervous. He couldn't quite put it into words, nor did her wish to. He could admit to himself how he felt, but that was as far as he had gotten. Miles wouldn't tell anyone, never mind Maria, his affection for the brunette prosecutor.

"Good day, Coldstare," Miles said. He approached Maria, and then matched her pace when they were side by side.

"If you say so," Maria said, pressing her book tighter against her chest.

_She doesn't seem to be in the best of moods. _Mentally, Miles sighed. _But I'm going to talk to her anyway._

"Is something on your mind?" Miles asked.

"It's freezing today," Maria said, as bitter as the wind.

"It's not that bad," Miles said. _My palms are sweating after all._

"Maybe not to you, but I hate it when it's cold."

"A bit ironic, don't you think Cold-stare?"

"Oh ha ha ha!" Maria barked; her voice drenched in sarcasm. "I've never heard that one before."

Inwardly, Miles cringed. _Was I trying to make a joke? I'm not funny. _He tried desperately to think of another topic. "Where are you headed, anyway?"

"The Prosecutors Building," Maria said. "What about you?"

"Actually, I'm walking there as well," Miles said, slightly tilting his head.

A sudden gust of wind rushed through the streets, making Maria's hair flutter away from her face. Her cheeks were tinged red, raw from the cold air. Her forehead creased, and she scowled slightly. In that instant, Miles barely felt the biting chill.

Maria shivered; then looked at Miles. "Shouldn't you button your coat?"

Miles shrugged. "Cold weather doesn't bother me."

"But your face is bright red," Maria said.

Miles looked away for a moment, feeling his face grow redder. "I assure you I'm fine. I spent too much time in Germany to be bothered by a temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Didn't you spend some time around Europe?"

"That doesn't mean I liked it when it was cold. Besides, I never stayed in one place very long."

"When did you come back to the United States?"

"I think I was 23. I became a prosecutor soon after. How long were you in Germany?"

"I moved when I was about 9 and came back when I was 19, so approximately 10 years. I still travel though. Foreign judicial systems have always interested me."

"Like the High Court System in Borginia?"

"That is an interesting system, though personally I find some of their punishments a bit overkill," Miles said. "This republic is slightly more efficient."

"Republic?" Maria said. "Are you talking about the United States? This is a democracy, Edgeworth."

Miles smirked. "Not quite."

"What are you talking about? Our government is very democratic. Representatives are elected by citizens to make decisions based on public opinion. That's a form of democracy."

"True, but the United States is technically a republic," Miles said. "In a democracy, the people's word is law. While the public does have the right to influence government, all citizens are bound by the Constitution. Ergo, this country is a republic."

"People have amended the Constitution before," Maria said, a smirk forming on her lips. "26 times, to be exact."

"Because they couldn't go against the Constitution," Miles said. "If you need more proof, think about the Pledge of Allegiance. 'And to the republic, for which it stands,' I believe is how it goes."

"You're using a song as evidence?" Maria said.

"It's true, isn't it?" Miles said.

"Well, if this government is a republic, why does everyone call it a democracy?"

"In many aspects, the United States is very much like a democracy. However, our Constitution makes this country a republic. There's no getting around it."

Maria stood up straight, holding her book in one arm and adjusting her half-rimmed glasses with the other. "The United States still could be accurately described as a democracy. After all, the government derives its power from the people and is accountable to them for the use of that power."

"True, but this is still a republic," Miles said. "The fact that we have a constitution is evident of that. Furthermore the Constitution clearly states 'The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.' Never does it mention a democracy."

Maria frowned, trying to think of an argument.

"Just admit I'm right and move on," Miles said. "There's nothing wrong with a republic."

"I have nothing against republics, Edgeworth," Maria said.

"Good, you have been living in one for roughly the past 10 years," Miles said.

"Now who can't let it go?" Maria tapped her book against her arm.

Miles smirked, cocking his head. _She doesn't seem to be all that cold anymore._

As they talked, the two prosecutors reached the Prosecutors Building. Miles opened the door and Maria and he stepped into the lobby. The moment they were inside, the air was warm and welcoming. Softly, Maria smiled. When Miles noticed her glasses had fogged up, a thin smile graced his features as well.

"Close the door!" a secretary shouted.

Miles realized he was still holding the door open and promptly closed. Satisfied, the secretary went back to her computer.

Maria took her glasses off and wiped away the moisture. She put them back on and brushed a strand of hair from her face. _I wonder if I'm obsessive. Is it normal that I found such a simple action endearing? _Miles shook his head as if to shake off the notion. _I can focus on this later, when I'm not at work. _


	2. Chapter 2

**_Alright, here's the second chapter. Just so you know, I've played chess a few times but I'm no expert. I can count my victories on one hand. Just as the previous statements hint at, this chapter involves chess. It's sort of a one-shot idea I had, so I decided to add it to the story. I assure you there's real plot in this chapter though. For those of you who are unaware; in the ancient cultural language of FanFiction, leaving a review after reading a chapter is considered a sign of respect and love. ;D_**

Miles flipped through his organizer, looking at some notes he had taken. It had been a slow day so far; he considered taking an early lunch. He took out a couple old pages and filed them away. He made himself a pot of tea and poured himself a cup. As Miles took a sip, he grabbed a newspaper resting on the corner of his desk and opened it.

_Let's see what we have here. Skipping the sports section… Skipping the TV section… a swarm of earthquakes?_

According to the local news, they were in the middle of a series of minor earthquakes. It was suspected to be a brief one, with no serious damage. That didn't make the seismophobic prosecutor feel any better about it though. _I suppose I should have known; there have been a couple scattered earthquakes these past few weeks. At least this says there won't be very many. _Miles sighed. _And you can always trust the news, right?_

Disheartened by the weather report, Miles went back to his tea. He was putting fresh pages in his organizer when his office door opened.

"Good day Edgeworth," Maria said.

"Coldstare, hello," Miles said. He noticed he was tilting his head. _This awkward habit of mine has to stop. _"What brings you here?"

"You got a fax downstairs," Maria said, holding up a couple sheets of paper. She walked up to Miles and placed them on his desk.

"Ah, thank you," Miles said.

"Don't mention it."

Maria turned around to walk out the door. She suddenly stopped. "I never noticed that chess set before."

Miles got up from his desk and poured himself another cup of tea. "Do you play?"

"Yes, it's been awhile though."

"How long?"

"I'm not really sure, but I still remember all the rules. Along with a few techniques."

Maria picked up one of the chess pieces, a red knight. "This is an interesting chess set. I don't think I've ever seen a knight like this. Not to mention the pieces are usual black and white."

"I suppose that's true," Miles said. He stared at the knight in Maria's hand. He couldn't recall exactly where he had gotten that chess set. All he remembered was seeing it in a store and being overcome with a strange feeling.

He pushed the thoughts away. He had contemplated it before, but ended up going in circles around himself. Miles tried to think of a new topic and went with the first one that came to mind.

"Would you care to play?"

Maria put the knight down. "I guess I'm not all that busy right now. Which one goes first with this set?"

"Blue goes first," Miles said, joining Maria at the small table with the chess board.

Maria, who was using the blue pieces, moved one of her knights. Miles, in turn, moved one of his pawns. As they played Miles tried to figure out Maria's strategy. It was always difficult to find any pattern during the first couple moves, but to Miles it almost seemed as if his opponent was just moving random pieces and waiting to see what happened. At first she seemed to love playing with her knights, but then she abandoned them and started toying with her other pieces. As a result, Maria lost one of her knights, a bishop, and several pawns. Miles, on the other hand, still hadn't even moved many of his pieces.

Maria moved one of her pawns forward and Miles saw an opening for his bishop to take one of her rooks. He slid his piece diagonally across the board and swiped away the blue rook. In retaliation, Maria moved her last bishop to the side of the board. Miles quickly saw that she was aiming for the pawn in front of his king. _She does know that she won't be able to get the king from there, right?_ Miles moved the pawn a space forward, just to be safe.

Maria moved her knight. "Checkmate."

"What?" Miles said, jerking back in surprise.

He looked at the board and sure enough, his king was trapped. Maria's knight threatened his king, which was blocked off by his own pieces. If he moved forward, he walked right into Maria's bishop. His red king was, in effect, trapped inside the walls to the point where it couldn't escape. However, the blue knight could get in.

_Wow, and I thought she was awful. _Miles stared at the board, impressed. _I walked right into that, she's amazing. _He looked at Maria, who had a triumphant smirk. Almost in a daze, Miles was washed over with a sense of warmth. _Wow, she's smart. It's actually quite… what's that word Larry uses all the time? Heated?_

"Do you not lose very often?" the "heated" woman said.

Miles realized his mouth was open and promptly closed it. He felt color flare into his cheeks. "No, I was just, ahem. Very impressive Coldstare."

"Thank-you," Maria said, still smirking. "Well, I should probably get back to my office. I can't leave Missile alone in there for too long. Thanks for the game, Edgeworth."

"Sure," Miles said, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Have a nice day," Maria stood up and strut out of the office.

* * *

Miles parked his car in the "A" section of the parking lot, turned off the ignition, and stepped out of his car with his briefcase. Soon after locking his car door, he entered the lobby of the Prosecutors Building. He went up the usual 12 flights of stairs and walked down the hall until he reached his office. He shuffled through his pocket until he found his office key.

He took his keys out, only to drop them on the floor. He knelt down to pick them up. As he grabbed his keys, an office door opened. Miles looked up just in time to see the furry face of Missile, the police dog in training, mere inches away. Missile licked the prosecutor's nose.

Miles grimaced, wrinkling his nose at the touch of the dog's wet tongue. Standing up, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the bridge of his nose. He tried to ignore the smell of dog breath that wouldn't go away.

Internally, he softened when he saw Maria, who was holding Missile's leash in her right hand and a book in her left. She looked mildly embarrassed.

"Edgeworth," Maria said. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine," Miles said, not wanting to continue the subject. "Are you taking him for a walk?"

"We have another training session. I'm meeting Detective Gumshoe in the lobby. He and I wanted to get a little more practice in before the final test."

"When is that?"

"The test is a couple weeks away still. I'm not sure I've ever seen Detective Gumshoe so excited," Maria said, flicking her book against her crossed arms.

_You haven't known him very long in that case. _Miles gave a thin smile. "I take it Missile is fully prepared then?"

"I don't doubt he'll pass," Maria said. "Missile's already had experience in the field, having been a police dog before. He just needed to calm down and find things other than hot dogs. All he needed was varied stimuli, along with a consistent reinforcement…"

Miles listened to Maria lecture on about dog training, somewhat amused. _She gets so animated, it's kind of cute._ Miles asked her the occasional question, more to keep the conversation going than out of curiosity. Whether he knew it or not, he had lately been taking every opportunity to talk to Maria. It was normally a challenge for Miles to keep a casual conversation going, he had never been a social butterfly, but Maria was different.

"So how was the trial?" Maria said.

"Fine, I suppose. It was extended for another day in light of new evidence that had yet to be examined, but I imagine the verdict will be given the next time," Miles said.

Maria adjusted her glasses. "That's always good to hear, I suppose."

_Hold on, when did I say anything about a trial? _Miles almost asked, but decided to let it go. _She must have figured it out on her own. Knowing her, she doesn't want to talk about something so obvious to her, not to mention trivial._

Out of nowhere, Miles began to feel uneasy. He looked at Maria, who seemed to be swaying. _No, she's not moving. Oh no._

The ground shook violently, and Maria was thrown to the floor screaming. Miles, in a trance, grabbed onto a doorknob to support himself. His legs were starting to give out, and he could barely hold onto his consciousness. _Keep it together, don't think about… gah! _

In his mind's eye, there were faint images of a gun and blood trickling down. He felt as though the oxygen around him was thinning out, and his vision blurred and darkened. He forced himself to listen to Maria's screams to avoid fainting.

"Missile!" Maria shouted.

Adrenaline and fear shot through him; bring his sight back into focus. He turned his head and saw Missile running, dragged his leash behind him. Everything seemed to happen at a break-neck speed, yet at the same time in slow motion. It almost didn't seem real. Miles saw Missile running, probably scared out of his wits, down the hall. Everything rattled, and a picture frame flew off the wall. It landed inches away from Missile. Miles caught movement in the corner of his eye and found that an entire bookcase was flying in the little dog's direction.

In that instant, Miles flung himself over to Missile and shielded him from the bookcase. He could barely manage to wrap his arms around the little dog before everything went dark. The last thing he remembered hearing was a scream.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Surprise! This chapter is twice as long! This is going to be the normal chapter length from here on out, or at least that's the plan. I just liked the first two chapters as they were, and I didn't want to drag them out. I could have linked them into one chapter, but that didn't feel right either. While we're on the topic of chapter length, I feel obligated to mention that this chapter is exactly 2,500 words long. Not counting this author's note, that is. I just thought that was cool. Enjoy, and remember my fellow fanfictioners, I love reviews as much as you do!_**

"Mr. Edgeworth? Sir? Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles groaned. He touched his head, which was throbbing. Opening his eyes, he sat up and looked around.

Maria sighed in relief. "Oh good, you're awake."

"I was starting to think you'd gotten hurt bad, sir!" Detective Gumshoe said. He was kneeling down next to Miles.

Some part of the dusky-haired prosecutor's mind realized that it had been Gumshoe who had called out his name. Miles looked around, trying to reorient himself. He was sitting on the floor in the hallway, with Gumshoe, Maria and Missile nearby. The little dog wagged his tail and let out a yap. _He seems to be alright._

Miles moved his hand a brushed against a book. Suddenly, he realized books were scattered across the floor along with a bookcase a few feet away.

"You really are a hero sir," Gumshoe said. "That bookcase flew across the room but it was diagonally so the wall stopped it before it hit you and Missile. But then all the books fell out on top of you and I guess a couple hit you on the head. Ms. Coldstare told me what happened."

Maria clutched her book. "When the earthquake started, Missile freaked out. I'm thankful that you kept him from getting hurt."

"I rushed up here as quickly as I could, sir," Gumshoe said. "I was able to push the bookcase away and Ms. Coldstare and I shoveled all the books aside. I was really surprised to find you, still shielding Missile like that."

Miles put his head in his palm.

"Are you alright?" Maria said.

"I'm fine!" Miles snapped.

He stood up and dusted himself off. He looked at Maria for a moment, then Gumshoe, before turning away and walking into his office with his head held high and an air of pride and indifference surrounding him.

Once inside his office, he knocked the back of his head against the door. The lights were off, but there was just enough sun coming through the curtains to create shadows. He leaned back, tired and beaten, combing through his hair with his fingers. _Don't thank me, Maria. You only say that because you don't know the truth. I'm no hero. I'm a coward who still can't face his past._

He had only just managed to protect Missile before slipping away. He hadn't even felt the dozens of books fall on top of him. He could never control himself during an earthquake, no matter how small. If he hadn't pushed himself at the last moment, Missile could've been seriously injured. _Even after all these years, I'm no better._

_What would Maria think of me if she knew all the things I had done?_ He had cheated, skirted the edge of the law, caused many people grief, and even "chosen death." He had been the Demon Prosecutor. That was in the past now, but the Demon Prosecutor had left scars. Whenever the earth shook, he still drowned in misery and darkness. From his days studying in Germany, to getting ever defendant punished, to now, that was one thing that had never changed.

_Maria was still in Europe when I began my career in America. Then she worked in another district until this year. She's never heard of the Demon Prosecutor. The title died years ago, when I finally gave up on striving for a perfect record, but I'm still the same person. I cannot erase my wrongdoings. No matter what I do, there will always be traces of the man I once was._

If he had to use one word to describe Maria, it would be "bright." No matter how dark the situation, she could shine through. She was radiant, with intelligent eyes and a mind to match. She was kind and warm, at least to Miles.

_I cannot deny my affection for her, but it doesn't matter. She could never love me. If she knew the sins I have committed, she would hate me. And she would be right in doing so. I have made so many bad choices, but I can do nothing but regret them. In the face of fear, I wallow in pity and remorse. I can barely protect those around me. She deserves someone better than that._

Miles stood up straight and walked over to his desk. He noticed that someone had brought his briefcase in. _Now that I think about it, the door was unlocked too. I wonder who brought it here._ He dismissed the thought. _It doesn't matter._

He opened his briefcase and took out a stack of paper. He sat behind his desk, picked up his fountain pen, and started on his paperwork for adding evidence to the official court record. _I need to do something constructive._ He vaguely remembered that he had never turned on a light, so he flipped the switch on his desk lamp. Combined with the sun it brightened the room considerably.

As the hours went by, the only sounds in the office were the sounds of paper moving in Miles' hands or around the desk and the faint scratching sound of the prosecutor's pen against the paper. No one interrupted Miles, which was fine with him. The last thing he wanted was for someone to come in and break his concentration. As it was he could barely keep the image of Maria out of his mind.

He battled with his conscious, forcing himself to focus on the documents in front of him. Eventually, he was able to immerse himself in his work. For hours, he signed where he needed to put his signature, read what he needed to proofread and organized as he went. He completely lost track of time, but he slowly rejoined the rest of the world when the text became fuzzy and his eyelids felt heavy.

Miles fought to stay awake. He didn't know it, but it was about 3 o'clock in the morning and his desk light was the only thing illuminating the Prosecutor's Building. That and starlight coming through the windows. He was determined to finish what he had started, no matter what.

Miles put his initials in a blank space and read through the document. _The acting prosecution for said trial, me, erm, initialed "ME" hereby… _Miles yawned. He looked at the short stack of unfinished papers. _I'm almost done._

He rubbed his eyes and resumed his work. As time went by, Miles became drowsier and found it more difficult to focus. _As stated in the official Evidence Law, evidence must be (1) approved by an acting police official person…_

Miles blinked repeatedly and his head dipped forward._ …and (5) deemed irrelevant to the invest-ilation… whatever. If the thingy goes against either of the statements listed in this paraclass, the thing is legal to use to convict a suspect. The acting prospector for the trail, named insert name here…_

Miles closed his eyes and collapsed over his desk.

"Which office is Mr. Edgeworth's again?" Trucy said, looking from side to side.

"1202," Phoenix said. "It's right… here."

Phoenix stepped in front of his daughter and gestured to one of the many doors on the 12th floor of the Prosecutors Building. He jiggled the door knob and found it to be unlocked, so he opened it all the way and stepped inside.

Trucy wasn't far behind. "Hey Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles didn't respond. He was face down on his desk, breathing audibly yet peacefully. Phoenix looked at Trucy, smiling.

"He's asleep."

Trucy giggled. "Again? He really needs to learn how to take a break."

"What are you talking about? He's been taking one all morning," Phoenix said.

Trucy walked over to the dozing prosecutor and tapped his shoulder. "It's time to wake up."

"Nnngh," Miles groaned, not moving. "Leave me alone, Franzy."

Phoenix covered his mouth, shoulders shaking. He loved it when this happened.

"Little brother, I thought I told you not to call me Franzy," Trucy said, pretending to be irritated.

"Go away," Miles mumbled.

"You stayed up late last night didn't you?" Trucy said.

"No I didn't."

"Don't lie to me. Stop being such a fool and wake up."

"I'm awake."

"Then get out of bed."

"After you get out of my room."

"You are so irresponsible. How late did you stay up reading?"

"I told you, I didn't."

"Papa doesn't like it when you stay up. You need to get the perfect amount of sleep every night."

"Got it, princess."

Phoenix bit his lip. If it had really been Franziska Miles was talking to, he would have gotten creamed for saying that.

Trucy stamped her foot, feigning indignation. "I'm telling Papa you stayed up late again."

"You don't have to bring Mr. von Karma into this," Miles said lackadaisically. "I'm getting up."

Phoenix snapped his fingers in the prosecutor's face and bellowed, "Miles Edgeworth!"

Miles shot up like an arrow, eyes wide. "I didn't stay up reading, sir! Honest!"

There was a pause as Miles scanned his surrounds, eventually realizing he wasn't 14 and his office wasn't von Karma Manor.

Phoenix grinned smugly. "So it's sir now?"

Miles colored, searching for a response. He looked past the Wrights and his face fell. By some cruel twist of fate, Maria was standing in the doorway Phoenix had left open. She covered her mouth with a book, but he could see she was smirking.

"So you talk to everyone in your sleep," Maria said. "Interesting."

"Not always," Miles said, tilting his head to the side.

"How would you know?" Maria said, her jaunty smile never fading.

Miles looked at Maria, who had her usual confident stance and sly smile. It was as if yesterday had never happened. She continued to act friendly, in her own taunting way. As memories of the day before crawled into his mind, Miles was washed over with feelings of guilt and regret.

His expression darkened and he turned away. "How long were you there anyway?"

"Only a couple minutes," Maria said, lowering her book. "I was just stepping out of my office and I happened upon this scene. Oh, and hello again, Trucy. Mr. Wright."

"Hi Ms. Coldstare," Trucy said.

"No need for the formalities," Phoenix said. "Nice to see you Coldstare. So you've heard Edgeworth sleep-talk too?"

"Just once," Maria said. "You make it sound as if he does it all the time."

"He does," Phoenix said. "And whenever we come in, he thinks Trucy is his sister."

"What are you two doing here anyhow?" Miles said crossly. _I'm right here!_

"Oh, that's right!" Trucy said, snapping her fingers. She opened her blue heart-shaped pack and took out a slip of paper.

The young magician held it out to Miles. "This is for you. It's an invitation to my next show at the Wonder Bar. I wanted to give it to you in person. Can you come?"

"Uh, nnnnggh," Miles crossed his arms and tapped his finger, hesitant to answer. Magic shows weren't really his thing, though Phoenix had brought him to a couple before. _And I'm really not in the mood. But…_

"Please?" Trucy said, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

She was wearing him done, and everyone knew it. Miles sighed. _There's a reason why she likes to hand out invitations in person. _"When is it?"

Trucy beamed. "Tonight at 7!"

Miles took the invitation. "I'll see if I can make it."

"Thank you Mr. Edgeworth!" Trucy said, hardly able to contain her excitement.

Miles didn't respond. He quickly glanced at Maria, briefly wondering what she was thinking. _It doesn't matter!_ He turned his attention back to the Wrights, hoping no one noticed his sudden shift of focus. Miles remained stoic, rhythmically tapping his finger on his arm, though internally he cringed when he saw Phoenix smirk.

The defense attorney turned to Maria, who was still in the doorway. "Would you like to come? There's always room for one more at the Wonder Bar."

Miles stopped tapping his finger.

"I'm afraid I can't," Maria said, adjusting her glasses.

"That's too bad. It would've been fun," Phoenix said. He looked at Miles with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Don't you think Edgeworth?"

Miles cleared his throat. "Sure."

Phoenix put his hands in his pockets, smiling. "You know, I think it's easier to get a full length conversation out of you when you're asleep."

Miles glared at him.

Phoenix shifted uncomfortably, though his smile never wavered. "Well Truce, we'd better get back to the Agency."

"Okay Daddy," Trucy said. "Oh wait!"

Trucy walked up to Maria and handed her a flyer from her bag.

"What's this?" Maria said.

"A flyer for my show," Trucy said, posing as if she were already on stage. "I know you can't make it this time, but I perform at the Wonder Bar a lot. Have you ever been there before? It's located downtown."

"I don't go to bars very often," Maria said, skimming the flyer. "Though, I have visited the downtown area a few times. That's where I'll be going tonight actually."

"Really?" Trucy said. "What kind of plans do you have anyway? Something fun?"

"I wouldn't call it fun really," Maria said. "It's just something I have to get done."

"Oh, I see," Trucy said. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Ms. Coldstare."

Trucy turned around to face Miles. "Bye Mr. Edgeworth. See you later!"

"Yeah, later Edgeworth," Phoenix said.

"Bye," Miles said, picking up the last paper he had been working on last night. He yawned.

"Oh yeah, and good morning."

Miles covered his face with his hand._ Why must someone always come into my office when I fall asleep?_

Phoenix, Trucy and Maria left and Phoenix closed the door behind him. Miles sighed and began making himself some tea. He let his thoughts wander as he waited for the water to boil. He soon found himself thinking about Maria, but quickly turned his thoughts elsewhere as soon as he realized it.

_She deserves someone so much better. There's no use dwelling on it. _Miles finished making his tea and took a sip, savoring the sweet delicate flavor paired with an underlying bitterness. _Why can't I simply get over it and move on with my life? It's not as if I would ever actually work up the nerve to tell her these feelings I have for her. Even if I did, what are the odds that she would return them? Why would she love a Demon Prosecutor?_

Miles sat down at his desk and picked up his fountain pen. He just wanted to spend the rest of the day alone, free of interruption or distraction. He glanced at the slip of folded paper on the corner of his desk and remembered the magic show. _Oh, that's right. I agreed to be part of a giant crowd in a public bar. _Miles sighed internally. _When is that again?_

He picked up the invitation and opened it. A puff of glitter hit him in the face. _Ah, 7 o'clock. Perfect._


	4. Chapter 4

**_Before we begin, I'd just like to mention there's a poll going on in my profile concerning the story. Your votes will affect how this story goes, so I really need your guys' opinions. _**

**_This was actually a relatively easy chapter to write. Something about Phoenix and Edgeworth, it's easy to keep a conversation between them going. I guess it's because they both want to get the last word in. That and I had great musical accompaniment while I was writing. "False Relations" from Ace Attorney Investigations, it was perfect for this chapter. You might want to listen to it while you read. And review. ;)_**

Miles took a seat at a small table with Phoenix. They were close to the left side of the stage, which was illuminated by a lone spotlight. Scattered through the room were other people Miles knew, among many others. The Wonder Bar was, as usual, packed with people waiting to see Trucy Wright Magician Extraordinaire.

"Thanks for coming, Edgeworth," Phoenix said. "Trucy's got a new act that's she been dying to show people. Of course, she wouldn't let me see it until show time. She never lets me watch her practice, so I have no idea what she has in mind this time."

That was one of the traits that continued to draw people to Trucy's show; it was different every time. The young magician had a variety of tricks, but she never performed them in the same order or the in the same way. This ensured that even regulars, who made up for a majority of the crowd, couldn't get bored with the performance.

The lights dimmed and a cheerful melody played in the background. Trucy walked on stage, causing the crowd to cheer. With a flourish, Trucy waved to the crowd and curtsied.

"Thank you all for coming!" Trucy said, flashing her winning smile. "What a lovely crowd we have here. Why, just look at this gentleman here."

Everyone looked at a man, probably in his 20's, sitting by the front of the stage. A red rose sprouted from the top if his head, making everyone gasp. Even Miles was surprised.

Trucy snatched the rose from the spectator's head and twirled it with her fingertips. The rose petals turned black and fell off the stem, floating into the clapping audience.

"Are we all ready now?" Trucy said, posing.

The bar went into an enthusiastic frenzy.

As Trucy dazzled her captive audience with her talent and natural showmanship, Miles tried to pay attention. Even when Trucy pulled a lampshade out of her Magic Panties, the prosecutor's mind wandered elsewhere. He watched the show as best he could out of courtesy to the gifted magician, but he couldn't lift the fog around him.

Eventually, the show came to a close and Trucy performed her final act of the night. She and her partner, Mr. Hat, did a trick together making cards disappear. Then Mr. Hat disappeared, followed by Trucy. In her place an Ace of Diamonds fluttered to the ground. The crowd cheered and got up from their seats. Some left, others stayed for a few drinks.

"Well, Trucy should be taking the bus home by now," Phoenix said. "You want something to drink?"

"I'll pass," Miles said. "I believe I should be heading home."

"But it's only 7:50. Besides, you always stay for a little while."

"Not this time. I'm not in the mood," Miles said dully.

"Are you feeling okay?" Phoenix said; concern evident in his tone.

"I'm fine," Miles said. "Good night, Wright. Try not to get too intoxicated."

The prosecutor stepped out the double doors of the Wonder Bar and into the chilled night air. It had been getting darker earlier lately, so the sky was already shadowy with a handful of stars scattered around. Most people were inside right now, meaning the streets were nearly as clear as the sky. Miles walked down the sidewalk, heading for the parking lot where he had left his car.

He kept his head down as he walked, deep in his own thoughts. It was a beautiful night, crisp and peaceful, but Miles just wanted to go home and spend the rest of the night in solitude.

"Hold it!"

Miles looked over his shoulder and saw Phoenix. He turned his head back around and kept walking.

"Hey!" Phoenix said. "Edgeworth, wait up!"

Miles didn't respond. Phoenix trotted over to him and matched his pace when they were side-to-side.

"What's going on, Edgeworth?" Phoenix said.

"What are you talking about?" Miles said. "I already told you I'm fine."

"I know," Phoenix said. "But I've known Apollo for about a year now. I've learned that when someone says 'I'm fine' something's not right."

"Nothing's wrong," Miles said. He shut out a mental image of Maria.

"You've been looking down all day. I want to know what's bugging you."

"Get a mirror."

Phoenix looked Miles in the eye, his expression suddenly much more serious. "Edgeworth, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm fine," Miles said sternly.

Phoenix sighed. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"There's nothing to tell," Miles said, wishing the defense attorney would leave him alone. _There really isn't anything to say. I'm not good enough for Maria, she would never love me anyway, and I need to let go of these silly, distracting fantasies. End of story._

_So how come I can't seem to let it end? _ No matter how hard he tried, thoughts of Maria would always resurface. Miles had told himself countless time he needed to forget about the brunette prosecutor, and he believed every word, yet it didn't seem to matter. Even now, he could picture her perfectly.

_It's almost as if that woman walking this way is her… because it is._ Miles tensed up. _I can't let her see me! She might talk to me, and that will only make things worse! I have to go somewhere else before she notices me. But Wright's here; and he's already suspicious. I can't just walk away without a reason. _His recently high stress levels clouded his rationality, and he began to panic. Miles shoved his hand in his coat pocket and felt around. Thinking on the fly, he grabbed the first thing his fingers touched and discreetly flung it across the street.

"Oh, my-" Miles almost choked when he realized what he had thrown. "Prosecutor's badge!"

Miles and Phoenix watched it roll for a second before Miles swiftly chased after it. He snatched it off the ground about halfway across the street and placed it back in his pocket once he was on the other side.

Phoenix looked at him with a confused expression. Miles tried to ignore him, pretending to be on the lookout for cars. In actuality, he was watching Maria. She strode down the sidewalk, her nose shoved in a book. Miles tightened up when she walked past Phoenix. The defense attorney was facing Miles at the edge of the sidewalk, so she ended up walking right behind him. As she passed Phoenix, he turned his head towards her.

_Don't say anything. For once, keep your mouth shut, Wright._

Phoenix didn't say a word as Maria walked out of sight. There was a brief pause, both men standing completely still. Then Phoenix turned his head to face Miles again with sinister smile.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Now we know why the chicken crossed the road!"

Miles cringed. Not only was it a bad joke, it was bad joke based on a bad joke. Yet it still stung. "I am not a chicken!"

Phoenix grinned.

Miles walked across the street and rejoined Phoenix against his better judgment. "Not another word, Wright."

"Ah, come on. You don't have to be embarrassed," Phoenix said. "At least now I know what's been on your mind."

Miles stared at his shoes, feeling two inches shorter. "I told you before, I don't…"

"Edgeworth, you're sweet on Coldstare and you know it," Phoenix said. "But why's that got you so down? I noticed you were like this earlier today too."

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm fine," Miles said.

Phoenix lost the spring in his step. "That thing this morning, with you talking in your sleep in front of Coldstare, that didn't bother you too much, did it?"

"What? No," Miles said. "Nothing's bothering me, and I don't fancy Coldstare."

"You sure about that?"

"What will convince you that I'm not infatuated with that woman?"

"You know, it's okay that you have emotions like normal human beings."

Miles crossed his arms indignantly. "I know that."

"Then why won't you just admit it?" Phoenix said. "It's not as if I'd go put it on the Internet."

Miles creased his forehead and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was getting fed up with the defense attorney. _Why is he so adamant about this?_ "Look Wright, I'm going to say this one more time. I'm not smitten with Coldstare. It doesn't matter anyway."

"Doesn't matter?" Phoenix inquired.

"Precisely, it doesn't matter whether I fancy her or not," Miles said, hoping this would put the conversation to rest. "It's not as if she'd ever want to be more than friends with me. Even that might be a stretch."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "A stretch? I don't think so."

"What are you talking about?" Miles said.

"I'm pretty sure she likes you," Phoenix said with a knowing smile.

"As if that's possible," Miles said. "Who could like a Demon Prosecutor?"

"Demon Prosecutor?" Phoenix said incredulously.

"Yes, that's what I said," Miles said bitterly. "Think about it, Wright. I probably had multiple people convicted for crimes they never committed, meaning the true culprits got away because of me. I stayed just above the law for years. I don't like people and the feeling is mutual. Don't you get it, Wright? There is a list of reasons for Coldstare to want nothing to do with me."

"Edgeworth," Phoenix said. "No one calls you the Demon Prosecutor anymore."

"That doesn't change anything," Miles said. "I'm still the same person."

"The same person, huh?" Phoenix said. He looked away, casting a shadow over his smiling face. "I don't think so."

"Think what will, it won't change the past," Miles said.

"Oh really?" Phoenix said. "Remember when you disappeared for a year?"

"Yes, of course," Miles said ruefully. "I faked death and ran away from the country."

"You had left a note on your desk," Phoenix said. "'Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death' as I recall. I was pretty upset when I heard about that. But then a year went by, you came back, and I realized something."

"Is that so?" Miles said dryly.

"You must have rushed when you wrote that note," Phoenix said.

"Why do you say that?" Miles said. _Just where is he going with this?_

"You left out a word," Phoenix said, facing Miles again with chin raised. "It should have said, 'Demon Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death.' Because that's what happened. The Demon Prosecutor died."

Miles looked down, trying not to show how touched he was by those words. "Wright, I…"

"Can I say anything that'll get you to lighten up?" Phoenix said playfully. He then grumbled, "I bet Coldstare can get you to actually smile."

Miles blushed. "Nnngh, no I just…"

"You know, she does like you," Phoenix said. "I bet if you asked her out she'd say yes."

Miles recoiled. "Huh? I can't, I mean, why would I? It's not as if I'm attracted to Ma-Coldstare."

"Well, that got a reaction out of you," Phoenix said.

_Curse it, Wright! You know I love Maria, why can't you just leave me alone? Wait, "love" might a bit strong. Is it? I don't really know the criteria for- gah! Am I babbling in my head? _"Look, I don't want to talk right now. Can we just agree that I could never get any woman, much less Coldstare, to fall for me and leave it at that?"

"No," Phoenix said. "What do you mean 'you could never get anyone to fall for you'?"

"I'm not particularly charismatic, Wright," Miles said. "Even if I did fancy someone, I can't say I'm very knowledgeable in the area."

"Ah come on, you could do it," Phoenix said chummily. "You just have to be cool, friendly, pour on the charm a little…"

The defense attorney stopped when he remembered who he was talking to. He looked at Miles blankly for a moment. Then he burst into a fit of laughter.

Miles folded his arms, not amused. "What's so funny?"

Phoenix put a hand on his knee and held the other out. "No, no, ha ha ha, it's not you. Really, I ju- I just- I just suddenly had this mental image of you doing this."

Phoenix stood up straight, made two finger guns, clacked with his tongue and winked. He put his head in his head, chuckling again. "I don't know why, it was just funny."

Miles didn't see the humor in it. He glared at Phoenix, who eventually relaxed.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Phoenix said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Miles rolled his eyes. "This just proves my point."

"I'm serious, Edgeworth," Phoenix said. He was smiling, like always, though his tone conveyed a sense of sobriety and authority. "Don't talk yourself down like that. The Demon Prosecutor is a thing of the past. You're not going to ruin anyone's life, much less Coldstare's. You saved her life, after all."

"I never saved her life," Miles said.

"Edgeworth, I never would've gotten her an acquittal if you hadn't been there. You got us into Coldstare's office, you found Carson Rivale, and you brought Missile to follow the kerosene trails. Heck, you were the one to introduce me to Coldstare in the first place."

"Well, yes, but…"

"Why are you trying so hard to convince yourself that you're a bad person?"

"That's not it, I just…" Miles wasn't sure what to say. _Maria wouldn't even want to be with me. I'm cold by nature and generally unsocial. I'm afraid of earthquakes, elevators, and heights among other things, so I built walls around myself to ensure others wouldn't see my weaknesses. Maria is perfect, I'm not. I never was._

"You're scared, aren't you?" Phoenix said, with a wise and understanding voice.

"Scared?" Miles said, caught off guard. "What do I have to be scared of?"

"You've never been in a situation like this before. You don't know what to do, and you're worried you'll mess it up. For all you know, Coldstare is thinking the same things you're trying to convince yourself of. So you want to move past all these feelings, and distance yourself from her as much as you can. Because you can't make a mistake if you don't try in the first place," Phoenix turned his head to look at Miles eye to eye. "Am I right?"

Miles was speechless. His old friend's words cut deep, but they didn't hurt. It was as if the defense attorney had lifted a burden off his shoulders by putting it right in front of him. _Because it's the truth. And when one comes face to face with the truth, even if it is grim or undesirable, they are enlightened._

"So, Edgeworth?" Phoenix said, looking up at the stars. "Care to break that last Psyche-Lock?"

"Huh?" Miles raised an eyebrow.

Phoenix reached into his pocket and pulled out his emerald green Magatama. "There's still one left."

Miles stared into the Magatama, and memories of their last investigation together resurfaced. _We had just finished speaking with Maria in the detention center, and Wright asked me if I had feelings for her. I had five locks. He had only managed to break some of them. And now…_

"I always go through with what I start," Phoenix said.

Miles felt his usual sly smile return and put his hands in his coat pockets. In his mind, he heard the mystical sound of the final Psyche-Lock shattering like glass. "Indeed you do."


	5. Chapter 5

Maria skimmed through her organizer, her shoes clicking against the linoleum floor of the courthouse. The case she was about to prosecute seemed rather simple, but it never hurt to be prepared. She mentally plotted out her strategy and was interrupted the moment she stepped into the lobby.

When Maria looked up from her notes, she saw Detective Ema Skye. She was sitting on the arm of a sofa, audibly eating a snack.

"Hey, Ms. Coldstare," Ema said. The detective smiled at Maria and closed her bag of Snackoos.

The corners of Maria's mouth twitched upwards. That was a sign of great respect coming from Ema. Maria had grown fond of the lab-coat clad detective. Even though she had a tendency to play the role of forensic scientist, and run her mouth occasionally, she did her job in the end. Maria could respect someone having a passion that didn't quite match up with their job.

"Hello, Detective Skye," Maria said. "I take it you're prepared for the trial?"

"Yes," Ema said. "I take it you've got the rebuttal to the defense's rebuttal to your rebuttal to the defense's argument?"

"I've taken the necessary precautions," Maria said, with a disciplinary gaze. _So I like to plan things out, sue me. _"I don't suppose you know who the defense attorney for this trial is?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Ema said, putting her glasses on her nose. "His name is Apollo Justice. He's pretty good too."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I think he represents the defendant's entire family actually. The family keeps hiring him at any rate. He's still young for a lawyer but he's got talent. Not to mention he's smart. You can't lie to him; he's sees right through people. Oh, and he's loud."

"Sounds like you've met him before."

Ema put her glasses back on her forehead and grinned. "He's my boyfriend."

Maria's eyebrow arched. "Really now? I hope this doesn't affect your testimony in any way."

"Ms. Coldstare, you're misinterpreting this," Ema said, cocking her head back. "Apollo's my boyfriend, meaning I'm that much more determined to beat him."

Maria smirked. _And that's why I like her._

Ema smiled again, relaxing on the arm of the sofa. "Apollo really is a good lawyer though. I'm not just saying that because he's cute," Ema straightened up, blushing.

"Sounds like you're close," Maria said, smiling knowingly.

"Eh heh heh," Ema said, slightly embarrassed. "I guess so. You know how it is."

"Can't say I do, honestly," Maria said, her mind turning back to the upcoming trial.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, romance isn't a big part of my life."

"Are you sure?" Ema said. "There must be someone you love. Someone who's, maybe, done something that meant a lot to you?"

_"Edgeworth really helped with the investigation. And the whole time, I don't think he doubted you for a minute." _Maria remembered those words, spoken to her by defense attorney Phoenix Wright after her trial. She was grateful for everything Miles had done, admired it even. _But I don't love him for it. I'm not some damsel in distress, falling for a knight in shining armor solely because he won a joust or slay a dragon._

"Not really," Maria said, glancing at her notes.

"Are you sure?" Ema said.

"You seem to think otherwise," Maria said, crossing her arms the way she always did.

"Would I be correct in thinking so?"

"Detective Skye, remind me how we were able to get so far off topic?" Maria said. "As I recall, there is a murder trial starting in 12 minutes."

"Don't you mean 11 minutes and 53 seconds?" Ema teased.

Maria looked down on the detective sternly, her eyes cold and hard like two jade stones. "If it's not an inconvenience to you, Detective Skye, I'd like to go over a few things concerning the case at hand."

"Sure, Ms. Coldstare," Ema said, respect glowing in her eyes.

The judge pounded his gavel against the podium. "This court is now in session for the trial of Ashi Kitaki."

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Maria said.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Apollo said.

Maria flinched. _Detective Skye did say he was loud. Actually, many aspects of him are rather loud. _The defense attorney wore a fire-engine red suit and his chocolate hair stuck up in a way that reminded Maria of a robin's tail. His eyes had a sharp determination to them and his fists were clenched, ready for action. To say at the least, he had presence.

"Mr. Justice?" the judge said, looking confused. "Don't you normally have a legal aid? What happened to that young girl with the top hat?"

"She's fine," Apollo said, looking startled. "It's just 10 o'clock on a Wednesday, Your Honor. She had school."

_He seems a bit jumpy to be the Kitaki family lawyer. _Maria observed her new courtroom opponent. _Then again, perhaps it's because he's the family's attorney that he's so nervous. I find it difficult to believe the Kitakis are all completely reformed citizens._

"Ah, of course," the judge said. "Ms. Coldstare, your opening statement?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Maria said. "A pharmacist, Dr. Edward "Ed" Fohto, was murdered 2 days ago in the very pharmacy he was employed to. The murder occurred around 5PM and the pharmacy was closed, so there were no witnesses. However, the prosecution has a way to prove exactly what happened that evening."

"And what would that be?" the judge said.

"There was a security camera," Maria said. "Naturally, it recorded the entire event."

Apollo's hair drooped down, along with the rest of his features. The members of the crowd began whispering amongst themselves, it was clear which side had the upper hand so far.

"Order! Order!" the judge said, slamming his gavel. "Let us see this recording for ourselves. Bailiff, play this security tape immediately."

The recording played out on a screen, and everyone saw a man in a lab coat filing documents. The video was in black and white, but the man was clearly the victim. He put a folder into a plastic bin and moved on to the next set of files. Just then, a girl appeared from the hallway shown on the right side of the screen. However, she was wearing a hood and wasn't facing the camera. Ed looked up from his documents and jumped back. A knife appeared in the girl's hand and she walked towards the pharmacist.

Ed stepped back until he reached the wall. He clearly feared for his life as the girl walked closer. He seemed to be saying something, but unfortunately the video was silent. The girl stood before Ed, who by this point was on the floor scooting his feet along with linoleum in a vain effort to put more distance between him and the girl. Finally, the girl raised her arm and brought the knife down into his chest.

Everyone reflexively winced.

"I'm really glad Trucy's not here today," Apollo muttered, grimacing.

_Trucy? Could it be…? _Maria pushed the thought aside. _Not right now._

In the video the girl straightened up, having crouched when she stabbed the pharmacist. She looked back, the hood moved, and everyone saw the defendant's face. The girl then fled the scene, and the video ended.

"My," the judge said. "That was… unsettling."

"Unsettling but true, Your Honor," Maria said. "As you can see, there is little room for doubt concerning the defendant's guilt. We made sure the video wasn't tampered with in any way. She obviously committed the murder."

"Objection!" Apollo said forcefully. "We don't even know the details of this case yet! It would be too hasty to draw any conclusions yet."

"Very well then," Maria said. She hadn't planned on ending the trial so quickly anyway. "In that case the prosecution would like to call the detective in charge of the investigation to the stand."

Moments later, Ema stood behind the witness stand.

"State your name and occupation for the court," Maria said.

"My name is Ema Skye, I'm a homicide detective," Ema said.

Maria almost smiled when she saw Apollo perk up considerably.

"Detective, please testify about your investigation," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Ema said, pulling out her trade mark bag of Snackoos.

Testimony

_The victim, Dr. Ed Fohto, was stabbed in the chest at 5:18 at the pharmacy he worked at._

_We found a knife known as a "shiv" in the victim's chest and confirmed it to be the murder weapon._

_There were no fingerprints, but luckily the security camera caught the killer in action._

_We also found that several rooms were completely trashed._

Ema went back to munching on her snack.

"Hmm, I see," the judge said. "Mr. Justice, you may begin your cross-examination."

"Yes, Your Honor," Apollo said.

Cross-Examination

_The victim, Dr. Ed Fohto, was stabbed in the chest at 5:18 at the pharmacy he worked at._

"Hold it!" Apollo said. "How are you so sure about the time?"

Ema threw a Snackoo at his forehead. "Because of the video, duh! It captured the murder and the time it happened."

Apollo munched on the Snackoo he had been hit with. "So- crunch- how come- munch- the victim is- munch, munch, munch- alone? I mean- crunch munch- it's a pharmacy- munch- right?"

"Isn't- munch, munch, crunch- it obvious?" Ema said, eating a Snackoo herself. "The place- munch- was- munch- closed already. So- munch- everyone was- munch, munch- gone."

"But then- munch- what about the- crunch- other employees?" Apollo said. "Surely- munch, munch- someone else would- munch- be there."

"I- munch- don't know," Ema said. "I'm sure- munch- he had his- munch, munch, crunch- reasons."

_I can't understand a word they're saying, how can they hold a conversation like that? _Maria crossed her arms, impatiently tapping with the organizer between her fingers. "Mr. Justice, Ms. Skye, would you kindly swallow then talk?"

Ema swallowed and put her snack bag away. "Sorry."

Apollo flattened the spikes on the top of his head, embarrassed. "Eh heh, you were saying, Ema?"

_We found a knife known as a "shiv" in the victim's chest and confirmed it to be the murder weapon._

"Hold it!" Apollo said. "Did they find anything on the shiv?"

"Scientifically speaking, no," Ema said. "Nothing but the victim's blood."

_There were no fingerprints, but luckily the security camera caught the killer in action._

_We also found that several rooms were completely trashed._

"Hold it!" Apollo said. "Was something taken?"

"Large amounts of a medicine called Coldkiller-X were unaccounted for, but that's it," Ema said.

"So the killer took cold medicine?" Apollo said, pressing a finger against his forehead.

"So it would seem," Ema said, playing with her hair. "It's actually illegal to hoard so much of it."

"It's illegal?" Apollo said.

"It's powerful stuff," Ema said, adjusting her glasses. "You know, if you have a lot of it you can actually turn it into a poison."

"Really?" Apollo said.

"Yeah. The distribution of the medicine is under constant monitoring to make sure that doesn't happen, but lately it's been a problem," Ema said. "That's probably why Ms. Kitaki killed the victim. To get to the medicine."

"Why would she do that? She would have nothing to gain!" Apollo said.

"Objection!" Maria said. "Coldkiller-X, or its base element, has become very popular in the black market. You are aware of the Kitaki Family history aren't you, Mr. Justice?"

"Objection!" Apollo said. "The Kitakis have reformed and cut off all underground connections."

"It's one thing to say that, and another to make it true," Maria said.

"Can you prove the Kitakis are involved in illegitimate activity?" Apollo said.

"Why don't we ask Ms. Ashi Kitaki?" Maria said.

"What?" Apollo said.

"The prosecution requests the defendant testify," Maria said. She had been waiting for this moment.

"Does the defense have any objections?" the judge said.

Apollo considered it for a minute. "No, Your Honor."

"Very well then," the judge said. "Detective Skye, you are relieved from the stand."

"Later," Ema said.

"Will the defendant please take the stand?" the judge said.

Ashi Kitaki was 19, but short for her age. Her hair was long, dark, and adorned with silvery fox ears. She wore a grey jacket with cuffs the same color as her burnt sienna tee. Mitten resembling paws were tied together and hung from her neck. She played with a fox claw bracelet on her right hand.

"For formality's sake, state your name and occupation," Maria said.

"Ashi Kitaki. I do some maintenance work at People Park with my cousin, Wocky," Ashi said. "Gave me a nice tan."

"Ms. Kitaki, you plead innocent to murder correct?" Maria said.

"Look, I really didn't do it okay?" Ashi said. "I'm totally innocent. I didn't even know that pharmacist dude."

"Perhaps you could testify to that effect?" the judge said.

"Gladly, man," Ashi said.

Testimony

_I'm just going to say it. I didn't kill that guy. Or anyone else while we're on the subject._

_I don't know what's up with that video. That's not me._

_I didn't even know that doctor. I have nothing to do with him._

_The killer stole medicine right? Well what would I want with a bunch of cold medicine?_

Maria observed Apollo curiously. He was staring at Ashi intensely as she spoke, his eyes wide with a shine of clarity and focus. _What is he looking at? It feels as if he's analyzing her._

"Mr. Justice, you may begin your cross-examination," the judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Apollo said, never taking his eyes off Ashi.

Maria hugged her organizer against her chest. _He can't be staring at her for the reason I think he is. Isn't he dating Detective Skye?_

Cross-Examination

_I'm just going to say it. I didn't kill that guy. Or anyone else while we're on the subject._

_I don't know what's up with that video. That's not me._

"Hold it!" Apollo said. "Can you shed some light on who that is then?"

"How should I know?" Ashi said.

"Ashi, I believe you're innocent," Apollo said. "However, that is your face in the security video without a doubt. That being a coincidence is too hard to swallow. Surely you know something!"

"Hey, I'm being honest here, dude," Ashi said.

Maria raised an eyebrow. _There's that stare again._

_I didn't even know that doctor. I have nothing to do with him._

"Gotcha!" Apollo said. "Ashi Kitaki, the moment you said 'nothing to do with him' you looked down at your bracelet."

_She looked at her bracelet? _Maria couldn't fathom what the defense attorney was getting at. _Should I stop this line of questioning?_

"I what?" Ashi said.

"You refused to make eye contact, and that charm bracelet is special to you isn't it? It gives you a sense of security. You're hiding something from the court, aren't you?"

_Is this what Detective Skye meant by 'He sees right through people'? Body language psychology? _Maria watched the interrogation unfold, taking in the situation with curiosity. _I don't suppose he has any reasoning or evidence behind all this?_

"Don't be crazy, dude," Ashi said. "You're my lawyer, why are you saying this stuff? Are you trying to get me guilty here, man?"

"I didn't say you killed the victim," Apollo said, shaking his head. "But you did know him, didn't you?"

"No I did not!" Ashi said. "Why would I have anything to do with that guy?"

Apollo took out a sheet of paper and looked down at it. "I believe the key here is the missing Coldkiller-X. In large enough quantities, it's actually rather simple to turn it into a deadly poison. So it is now required by law to monitor the amount purchased by each individual."

"And?" Ashi said.

"It's because of this that Coldkiller-X is in high demand on the black market," Apollo said, crossing his arms with a confident look on his face.

"What?" Ashi said, taken a back.

"Recently there has been a lot of activity in the drug dealing department," Apollo said.

"You think I'm involved in that?" Ashi said. "Dude, c'mon! You were the one that said the Kitakis were all reformed!"

"Not quite, I'm afraid," Apollo said. "I said the Kitakis were reformed as a family. However, there are individuals who are against it!"

"Stop it, dude!" Ashi said. "I couldn't have gotten my hands on all that stuff!"

"Which is why there was an inside man involved," Apollo said. "The victim, Dr. Ed Fhoto!"

"Mr. Justice!" Maria said. "You honestly think the victim was part of the smuggling?"

"Yes!" Apollo said, pounding his desk with his fists. "The missing medicine and smuggling are what ties everyone involved in this case together. The victim, the defendant, and the killer!"

"Objection!" Maria said. "Though you have yet to provide definitive evidence, let's assume you're correct, Mr. Justice. The victim was killed because of his involvement with the drug smuggling, is that what you're getting at?"

Apollo nodded his head. "Yes, that's why the victim was murdered."

"If that's the case," Maria said. "Doesn't that mean it's even more likely the defendant killed Dr. Fohto? According to you, Ms. Kitaki is part of this crime syndicate as well."

"Objection!" Apollo said. "The murderer was someone else!"

"You have yet to provide evidence to that effect," Maria said. "The drug smuggling theory does have some merit; it ties together many loose ends. However, once connected everything points to the defendant being the murderer."

Apollo said nothing, searching for a way out as he looked straight ahead with a glint of determination in his piercing eyes. Suddenly, he recoiled with a startled expression. Apparently, he had reached a dead end.

**_And so, we end this trial chapter. We're not yet though. Before moving on to Chapter Six however, there are just a few things in the story I'd like to clarify for clarification's sake._**

**_The relationship between Ema and Maria- Ema respects Maria, because she's one of those 'simmerous' prosecutors. She's still her sharp-tongued self, but she adores those she respects. Being an unofficial part-time police dog trainer, Maria doesn't mind Ema's scientific investigations so long as she knows what she's doing and they're not a waste of time. Just in case I didn't make that clear._**

**_The relationship between Ema and Apollo- I actually kind of regret adding this, since it's not going to be a very important part of the story. But I ship Apollema, and I thought up this story through daydreaming about Ace Attorney and headcanon stuff so… I'm using this as more of a writing vessel I guess, to help along with a few things in the story. Honestly, this chapter is probably going to be as romantic as it gets between these two, since this is about Miles and Maria. _**

**_Speaking of which, you should know that Maria meant everything she said (thought) about Miles in the beginning._**

**_Don't forget to check out the poll on my profile! Your votes will affect the story, and it involves a certain beloved burger lover._**

**_Also, I would like to thank ghostfacekiller39 for beta-reading a majority of the story so far. It was really helpful, and I meant to thank you sooner._**

**_Well, that was it really. Just one more thing. Please review!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Okay, so here's a recap for the trial if you need it. Ashi Kitaki, Wocky's cousin, has been accused of murdering a pharmacist named Dr. Ed Fohto. Why? Because a camera recorded her doing so. Or did it? Apollo fights on, and in the process brings to light a recent drug smuggling epidemic. Both Ashi and Fohto were involved. But wait! If that's the case, isn't it even more likely that Ashi did the pharmacist in? That's what Prosecutor Coldstare is saying, and right now tides are turned in her favor. Jog your memory? Good._**

Maria held her organizer between two fingers and smirked. Light streaked keenly across her glasses. "Naturally, the most decisive evidence is the security tape. It shows exactly what happened the day the victim died."

"But…" Apollo started lamely. Defeat was evident in his appearance. He picked himself back up and pounded his desk. "That can't be the defendant that stabbed the victim!"

"The face is a perfect match," Maria said. "And I assure you, Ashi Kitaki has no identical twin sister."

"I know that!" Apollo said. "I want to see the video again! The defense believes that further examination of its contents will reveal the truth behind this case!"

The judge put his head down, thinking it over. "Does the prosecution have any objections?"

Maria tapped her organizer on her arm. "No, Your Honor. The best way to prove to the court that there is nothing strange about the video is by searching for such abnormalities. The defense is correct; examining the security footage will tell us exactly what happened that day, whether he likes the outcome or not."

"Very well then," the judge said. "Bailiff, play the security footage once more."

On screen, the victim was once again shown filing papers. Apollo stared at the screen with an intensity that burned like fire, yet was as penetrating and cool as ice.

_He really is determined to find something in this video. It feels as though he's seeing every detail. _Maria turned her attention back to the screen as the killer came into view. Of course, at this point all that could be seen was one side of her body and the knife in her hand.

Just as before, the pharmacist forced himself against the wall looking incredibly frazzled. His eyes were darting around the room as he kicked back, pressing himself into the wall as much as he could. Of course, it was in vain. The girl came closer, until finally stabbing him in the chest. The victim's limbs flew around and he blinked rapidly. _The shock of death. _Maria felt a pang of sympathy for the clearly tortured man as he eventually went limp.

She was torn from her train of thought by the sound of feverish scribbling. She looked at Apollo and saw that he was writing something down, but never taking his eyes off the screen. _What is he writing?_

"Stop the video!" Apollo shouted.

The bailiff with the remote immediately did as he was requested, startled by the sudden boom of the defense attorney's voice, and the image froze just as the killer turned her face to the screen.

"What is it, Mr. Justice?" the judge said.

"Rewind a little bit!" Apollo said, pointing at the screen. "Right after the victim gets stabbed! Pay close attention to the victim's face!"

The bailiff did as Apollo said, and the video played again just as the killer brought the knife down. Maria watched the victim, searching for anything unusual. Just like before, he flailed around. _Pay attention to his face, huh? But there's nothing strange. It's an interesting expression, but the man is dying._

"Right there!" Apollo said. "Did you see that? The victim is blinking!"

The courtroom was silent.

Maria didn't know how to respond. "The victim is… blinking?"

"Yes!" Apollo said fiercely.

"And you find this odd?" Maria said. _I must be missing something vital. Either that or he is._

"Tell me, Ms. Coldstare," Apollo said. "Are you familiar with Morse Code?"

Maria suddenly felt dread build inside her, and began to think that the defense attorney might have a point after all. "I'm afraid I never learned it."

Apollo crossed his arms and smirked, radiating self-assurance. "Well then it's a good thing I hung onto my old scout handbook, because it just so happens the victim knew it rather well. So well that in his last moments he left us a message through a series of blinks."

"You can't be serious," Maria said, hugging her organizer. "Why would the victim leave a message in Morse Code?"

"Obviously, he knew about the security camera," Apollo said. "So he left a message in a way the killer wouldn't notice."

"How could you possibly see something like that?"

"I have good eyes," Apollo said. "And I wrote down the message."

"Mr. Justice, all I see are a bunch of lines and dots," the judge said, looking confused.

Flustered by the comment, Apollo lost his confident appearance and rubbed the top of his head sheepishly. "It's Morse Code, Your Honor. Just let me decode it."

"Ah, of course," the judge said.

Apollo looked down at his paper, muttering something about dots and dashes as he worked. "Okay, I got it!"

"We're waiting, Mr. Justice," Maria said.

"To the right," Apollo said. "That's what it says."

"Are you sure?" the judge said.

"Positive, Your Honor," Apollo said.

"I don't suppose you can explain why the victim would leave such a message?" Maria said.

The defense attorney wilted. He looked at the video, which was still paused. Suddenly, he smiled. "Look to the right."

"Pardon me?" Maria said.

"Look to the right side of the screen," Apollo said, in full swing once again.

Maria, along with everyone else in the courtroom, did as the defense attorney said. It took a moment, but the brunette prosecutor discovered what Apollo was referring to. There was a mirror on the right side of the screen, showing a dark hallway, and something shined in the reflection.

"It's… a bracelet," Maria said, stunned.

"By the looks of it, a fox-claw charm bracelet," Apollo said. "I suppose it's easy to miss when there's a murder going on, but lucky for us the victim caught it."

The crowd began to murmur.

"Order! Order!" The judge said, pounding his gavel.

"As you can see," Apollo said. "There were three people in the pharmacy that evening. The victim, the defendant, and the killer!"

"Objection!" Maria said. "You're being much too rash, Mr. Justice. Based on a piece of jewelry you're saying that hand is the defendant's. How is that bracelet a valid form of identification?"

"She never takes it off. That bracelet is a treasured heirloom in the defendant's line of the Kitaki Family," Apollo said. "The victim certainly thought it was important."

"And why did he think it was important?" Maria said. "The victim had just been stabbed; wouldn't it make more sense to reveal who had stabbed him rather than someone off to the side?"

"The answer is actually pretty simple," Apollo said. "The victim, being an employee at the pharmacy, knew where the security camera was. So naturally he figured his killer had already dug their own grave. But there was someone else there, who might have gotten off the hook if he didn't do something. So he left the message."

_So in a final act of good will, or perhaps spite, the victim left a cryptic visual message revealing a third party. According to Mr. Justice, at any rate. He's basing all of this on the theory of the victim, killer, and this third person being involved in the drug smuggling. Though, at this point I believe we've all come to accept it as fact. Hmm, I need to think this through… _Maria closed her eyes, tapping her organizer against her arm. "Alright, I suppose that makes sense."

"It does?" Apollo said, caught off guard. "Wait, I mean, you don't have any objections?"

"No, your deduction is completely logical," Maria said. "It explains the victim's curious actions quite nicely. Well done."

Apollo blinked. "So then… you admit the defendant is innocent?"

"No, I said you explained the victim's actions," Maria said. "The victim revealed that there was a third person at the crime scene. However, you never proved that the person hidden in the shadows is the defendant."

"What about the bracelet?" Apollo said, pounding his desk.

"Which is the more definitive form of identification, a bracelet or a face?" Maria said.

"Explain why someone else would be wearing that bracelet!" Apollo said.

"The most obvious conclusion, it's a different bracelet," Maria said, light streaking keenly across her glasses.

Apollo staggered; a look of complete bewilderment on his face.

"However, that is without a doubt the defendant's face," Maria said.

"Objection!" Apollo said. "There must be something wrong with that video!"

"Can you support that claim?" Maria said. "And need I remind you that there was no evidence of tampering?"

Apollo looked at the screen, which was still paused. He stared intensely at the face shown on screen. His eyes were starting to bulge.

Somehow, his eyes grew even wider. "Gotcha! There is definitely something wrong with that video!"

"What?" Maria said, taken aback. _What now?_

"Zoom in on the face," Apollo said. "And look closely."

The bailiff with the remote zoomed in on the defendant's face until it took up the entire screen. Maria analyzed it carefully. _What is he seeing?_

"It's a very miniscule difference, yet a huge contradiction," Apollo said, smirking. "Due to her job at People Park, Ashi Kitaki is rather tanned isn't she? But here's the strange part. In the video, her ears and neck are as pale as the moon."

Maria's eyes widened in surprised when she realized the defense attorney was right.

"I see you've noticed it too," Apollo said. "It's rather obvious once you've spotted it, don't you agree?"

Just to be sure, Maria glanced at the defendant who was still on the witness stand. She had no such tan lines anywhere.

"If you ask me," Apollo said, pounding his desk. "That's not Ashi Kitaki!"

"Objection!" Maria said. "Then why does the murderer have the defendant's face?"

"There are a few possibilities," Apollo said, pressing his index finger against his forehead. "If it's not Ashi Kitaki herself, and the video wasn't tampered with… the killer must be wearing a mask."

"You're saying the murderer made a face mask that looked exactly like the defendant?" Maria said.

"I've seen some very convincing disguises," Apollo said. "A mask probably wouldn't cover the neck or the ears. So if you're pale, unlike the defendant, it would show."

Maria pondered the defense attorney's argument. _I suppose it's possible, but is that really what happened? I have to be rational, and consider every possibility! _"Ms. Kitaki, is your tan natural or do you spray it on?"

"I'll have you know it is completely natural!" Ashi said, miffed by the question.

"Ashi has been in the detention center for the past three days!" Apollo said. "She wouldn't have had the chance to alter her tan!"

_Alright, so then this can't be explained with tanning spray washing off or applied incorrectly. _Maria searched her brain for an answer. _It's no use; a mask is the only possibility. But if that's the case, the murderer looked like Ashi Kitaki. So then why would the victim try to identify Ashi? Wait, the culprit was wearing a hood. Perhaps he didn't know himself, but figured the security camera would catch his assailant. Can I counter that?_

"Um, Ms. Coldstare?" the judge said. "You've been quiet for quite some time now."

Maria looked at the defendant. _Was she really just an accomplice? Wait, an accomplice… That's it!_

"Ashi Kitaki," Maria said. "It's beginning to seem as though you were merely at the scene of the crime. An accomplice at most."

"I guess so," Ashi said, wearily.

"Do you agree with your attorney that the bracelet on the screen is yours?"

"… Yes. I admit it. That's me. Does that mean you believe me? That I didn't do it?"

"Just answer one question," Maria said. "If you were not the one to murder Dr. Fohto, who was it?"

"Huh?" Ashi said, looking nervous all of a sudden.

"If what your attorney says is true, then surely you must know the true culprit," Maria said.

"Uh…" Ashi fiddled with her bracelet. "Do I have to say?"

"You have the right to protect yourself from self-incrimination," Maria offered.

"Objection!" Apollo said. "It would not be self-incrimination if the defendant revealed the name of the killer!"

"Then why won't she?" Maria said. "We already know about the drugs."

Sweat dripped off the defense attorney, causing his hair to wilt. "Ashi, care to be my first client who didn't make things difficult?"

Ashi bit inside of her cheek, but said nothing.

"Ashi, why won't you say anything?" Apollo inquired, straightening up. "Would it get you in trouble?"

The 19-year-old was silent.

Apollo's eyes gleamed. "You looked at your bracelet again."

"I.." Ashi trailed off.

"I think I see what's going on," Apollo said. "You won't say anything about the killer because it would get you in trouble. If you're not the killer, and we already know about the drugs, perhaps it means the murderer is someone you're not supposed to be involved with?"

"Shut up," Ashi said, looking scared.

"I'm sorry Ashi, but all the pieces are coming together, and I can't ignore the picture they reveal," Apollo said.

"Would you mind sharing this picture with us?" Maria said, with a disciplinary gaze.

"Let's look back at the drug dealing," Apollo said. "Coldkiller-X has the key ingredients to extract a poison from. A pharmacy would have an ample supply of it, which is why the victim was involved. Next you have Ashi Kitaki. The Kitaki Family, a 'community-based' group, owns a lot of property in the area. Ashi has access to it all, along with a clean slate. She's the perfect middle man for drug dealing. Now here's the question, once Ashi has the drugs from Dr. Fohto, where do they go?"

"To the black market, where they are sold," Maria said.

"The Kitaki's have cut off all underground ties," Apollo said. "Thus it would be that much more dangerous for Ashi. Not to mention she'd have gotten caught a long time ago if this was all her doing alone. No, Ashi merely makes the transition from the legitimate world to the underworld."

"And you are proposing the one who handles everything after that is…?" Maria prompted. _Get to the point!_

"Well, I don't have a one person in mind. More of a group," Apollo said. "Actually, I suppose 'family' would be a better word."

"Family?" Maria said. _A family involved in criminal activity that Ashi Kitaki would be in trouble for associating with. Could it be?_

"Dude! Be quiet," Ashi said, fear in her eyes.

Apollo shook his head. "I'm sorry Ashi, I wouldn't say it if it weren't the truth. You were involved with the Rivale Family weren't you?"

"Shut up!" Ashi said.

"But you were found out, so the Rivale member who killed the victim framed you," Apollo said.

"I-I," Ashi stuttered.

"Ashi," Apollo said. "You were involved with the Rivales, but you never killed anyone. Right?"

"Buddy, I would never take a life! I was trying to save one!" Ashi said forcefully. "Wait, I mean I, well…"

"Save a life?" Apollo said.

"I was getting paid to help with that medicine-poison-whatever!" Ashi said. "That's what Wocky needs; money. Not stupid morals! He underwent surgery, he's getting better, but he had to go under the knife before the family could pay for it. It was expensive to begin with, and I know the debt just keeps piling up! I thought maybe if I could get a bunch of money, I could give it to the boss and just say it was legally obtained."

"You thought it was the only way to help your cousin," Apollo said.

"Yeah," Ashi said. "I used a fake name when I started working with the Rivales, but I knew I had been found out as soon as that Rivale chick lifted her hood. But I swear it was the Rivale chick, not me! I thought we were just meeting with the old pharmacist! I should have known something was up when he started taking more than his cut!"

"Hmm," the judge said. "This is all seems to fit. Ms. Coldstare, do you have anything to add?"

Maria looked through her notes. _She's making a confession, but there have been cases where the defendant admits to a smaller crime to avoid charges of a more serious offense. However, partaking in drug smuggling is by no means a minor crime. Based on the evidence, the murderer could be her or someone else. Though I must admit, that face looks even less realistic every time I look at it. I suppose what it really comes down to is; why would anyone wear a mask with their face on it?_

"The rivalry between Kitakis and Rivales is considered the strongest in the west side of the country. I don't believe the defendant would lie about such a thing just to get off the hook," Maria said, disgruntled that she had been wrong. "However I do have a question for the defendant."

"What?" Ashi said, looking emotionally imbalanced.

"After this trial, would you be willing to tell me about any of the Rivales you worked with?" Maria said.

"Yeah, sure," Ashi said. "So am I innocent or guilty or what?"

"Does either side have anything they'd like to add?" the judge said.

The courtroom was silent.

"Very well then, I will announce my verdict," the judge said. "On the charges of murder, Ashi Kitaki is found not guilty."

**_A few months ago, I saw an article online about a man who had confirmed his attacker's identity through blinking. A Morse code message on a security camera was my immediate thought. Course, then I actually read the article. Turns out he blinked twice for 'yes' when the police showed him a picture (the man was paralyzed). Interesting story, but I liked my idea better so I turned it into an Ace Attorney trial. I don't think this was my best work honestly, kind of hard to make it suspenseful from the prosecution's side in this case, but what did you think?_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Guess who? I'm really hoping you guessed AceFangirl. So, this chapter was inspired by Adriana Figueroa's cover of 'Eternal Love'. Her songs have kind of become my latest obsession; she's like a Siren of the Ballad._**

**_This chapter is from Maria's perspective, just like the last two chapters, but the next chapter should get back to Miles' point of view. You might notice, or you might not, that this chapter is shorter than what I've been writing lately. I just couldn't stretch it out. Is this better, worse, do you not care in the slightest? Leave a review telling me what you think. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Oh, and if you haven't voted on my poll yet, please do so!_**

Her heels clicked against the linoleum floor of the courthouse as Maria paced down the hallway. She had some of her documents concerning the Rivale Family along with notes from the trial that had just ended. _If the Rivale Family is involved it gives this drug dealing epidemic a whole new meaning. _Maria leafed through her notes, mindful of the many loose papers scattered throughout the organizer. _There must be something in these notes that can give me a lead._

"Hello, Coldstare."

She suddenly felt a fluttering of warmth, instantly distracted from her work. _I know that voice._

"Hello, Edgeworth," Maria said, without looking up. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just turning in some forms," Miles said. "What about you?"

"I was in a murder trial," Maria said. "It ended just now, actually."

"How did it go?" Miles said.

"Oh, I lost the trial," Maria said, flipping to the next page. "The defendant was found innocent."

"That doesn't seem to bother you too much."

"During the trial I ended up getting a new lead concerning the Rivale Family. I have to investigate this."

"Ah, that explains it."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a certain look when you're thinking about a case."

"I get a certain look?"Maria smirked. "You sound like that defense attorney."

"Who?"

"Never mind," Maria said, pulling her organizer a little closer to her face. A page began to slide, but Maria caught it and shuffled it back with the rest of the scattered pages.

"You know, you should really secure some of those loose papers," Miles said. "You don't want to lose any."

"I'll be fine," Maria said.

"Are you sure?" Miles said. "It's rather windy outside."

"It'll be fine, Edgeworth," Maria said stubbornly.

She could hear the smirk in the dusky-haired prosecutor's tone. "Alright then."

_Why does he have to have that condescending voice? _Maria walked with Miles while reading through her crammed binder, occasionally rearranging the papers. They continued to talk, which Maria didn't mind at all. Even if he was arrogant, Miles was gentlemanly in addition to being sensible.

"So who was the defendant?" Miles said. "From your trial, that is."

"Her name is Ashi Kitaki," Maria said.

"Kitaki?" Edgeworth said. "So then you must have gone up against Justice."

Maria looked up from her notes. She considered his sentence for a moment then figured out what he meant. "Yes, the Kitaki family's lawyer. You know him?"

"He works at Wright's agency," Miles said.

"Ah, that explains a few things," Maria said.

"He does show traces of Wright's originality," Miles said. "No case is ever easy with them involved, for them or their clients."

"So I noticed," Maria said. She hardly ever laughed, but she almost let out a chuckle. _He does remember that he convinced Wright to represent me, right?_

"Of course, pursuit of the truth is rarely simple," Miles said.

Maria smiled wistfully. "She was just lucky she had her bracelet with her."

Miles cocked his eyebrow.

They walked to the exit and Miles opened the door. The moment she was outside, Maria felt the wind rushing through the city. Her papers began to rustle, and she struggled to keep them in place. She tried to cover them with her arms, but then suddenly a sheet of paper flew into her face. She scrambled to pull it away, and accidentally dropped her binder. The wind changed direction and all her loose papers flew away.

"Ah!" Maria tried to grab one but the wind was too fast and they all fluttered across the lawn of the courthouse. _Well, this is just humiliating. I lost those important papers, and Edgeworth is standing right here! Not to mention, he was right!_

Suddenly, Miles ran in the direction the papers flew without a word. Maria watched him for a moment, somewhat surprised. _Wait, what am I doing? _She grabbed her organizer and ran after Miles.

_Wow, he's surprisingly fast. _Miles ran after the cluster of papers, catching up to them pretty quickly. He reached out a grabbed one, but missed. Now in the center of the swarm, he snatched one out of the air. He swiped another with his second hand, but lost them both when he failed to grab a third page.

Maria couldn't help but smile as she watched the other prosecutor feverishly dance through the papers, failing to catch every single one of them. His hair whipped this way and that due to the wind and his own movements and coat fluttered all around him. _Is his tongue sticking out?_

With a sudden gust, the wind changed direction. The papers were swept away from the prosecutors, clustered together as they swirled along the currents. Miles followed them, with Maria still behind. He quickened his pace, and ran ahead of the elusive swarm.

_What is he doing? _Maria sped up, hoping to eventually catch up to deceivingly swift prosecutor. As she ran, she saw Miles facing the wind with his coat off. He seemed to have slowed down considerably. The papers flew straight at him, and he held his coat out in their path. A large majority of the papers flew right into his coat. _He's using it like a net. The wind keeps the papers pressed to the coat, so they can't escape as long it's facing the direction of the current._

Miles soon trapped all of the remaining papers his makeshift net and stopped, still holding out the coat. Finally, Maria caught up to him and stopped in front of him. She breathed a little heavier than normal, but she was smiling.

There was something almost dashing about Miles as he stood there holding his coat, with his usual sly smile. Maria hugged her binder around her arms, suddenly overcome with shyness. She searched for the right words to say, but nothing seemed to fit. So they just stood there, barely an arm's length away from each other, with the wind being the only sound.

A stray page flew to them, and landed squarely in Miles' face. Unable to use his hands as it slipped away, he caught it with his teeth. He looked at Maria, tilting his head and sort of smiling from behind the paper. She hid her amused smile behind her organizer.

Her awkward feelings melted away, and she opened the binder and cradled in her right arm. With her left hand, Maria took the page between her fingers. Miles opened his jaw and she plucked it away. They both looked at the indentions left by his teeth.

His cheeks colored. "I, uh, hope that document wasn't too important."

Maria placed it securely in her organizer, with an expression as cool as the autumn air surrounding them. "Don't worry about it."

She then set about carefully taking the papers out of the rich maroon net. One by one, they were put back where they belonged. Once everything was safely in place, Maria closed her organizer and Miles put his coat back on.

"Thank you," Maria said. "I really needed these documents, and it wouldn't do to have them roaming the streets."

"I agree, such important information should be kept where it needs to be," Miles bowed grandly. "I'm glad I could help."

Maria laughed airily, unable to stop herself. It was a warm sound, like chiming bells. It felt good though, she didn't laugh often.

Miles looked up, a confused expression on his face. "What is it?"

"It's you," Maria said as her laughter faded away. Her sense of happiness stayed however. "You're just… quirky sometimes."

"I'm… quirky?" Miles said. He stood up straight, though his soft look of confusion remained. It was as though he weren't sure how to respond.

"In a way, I suppose. People don't normally bow to me," Maria said, her cheeks coloring. _That didn't come out right. _"I truly am grateful, though, of your assistance."

Miles smirked, but somehow it didn't feel snarky.

They began the walk back to the courthouse together. Maria looked at Miles, who seemed to be enjoying the rushing cool air. His hair, coat and cravat were all swept by the current. _It's interesting how he can wear a cravat and have it look good on him._

Conversation ebbed and flowed between them. A sudden gust of wind blew her hair to the side of her face, and she pushed it back with one hand. Maria held her organizer close, just to make sure nothing got lost again. Impulsively, she glanced at Miles again. He had his hands in his pockets, and it seemed the wind had made his cheeks red. _I never would have guessed he'd turn out to be so… cute._

She suddenly wished he would take her hand. While the very thought made her heart race, Maria couldn't help but think it would feel nice. Warmth blossomed inside her, it was a certain feeling she had hardly ever felt in the past.

_But I feel it every time he's around._ She recalled the time they had investigated together. They had been sharp and logical together, piecing together the clues and keeping a watchfully eye out for the truth. When she had been arrested it had wilted her. He hadn't lost track of the truth though, and did whatever he could to find it.

When the stress and anxiety from her murder trial had broken her, a part of her felt she could let go in front of Miles. She had given in, and cried on his shoulder. She had taken comfort in his presence, and never forgot his calm and gentle feel. She longed to feel it again. Maria held her organizer a little tighter; because she knew if her hands were free it would be even more tempting.

_Stop it. You're just walking with him back to the courthouse. _Still, it felt nice just walking beside him and talking to him. She always listened to what he said, even when she didn't look like it. However, Miles seemed to ask her questions more than anything else. He didn't talk about himself very often though, despite having a very prideful attitude. _He really is quirky._

As they walked, Maria thought about it and found it to be true. _He bows at people, he's always smirking. He gets flustered when you trip him up. He doesn't always show many emotions. He loves it when it's cold outside. He talks in his sleep. He's not exactly a social butterfly, especially in crowds, yet he likes to argue with people._

They made it back to the front of the courthouse and stepped off the lawn. Since they were both heading for the parking lot anyway, they continued to walk together in a somewhat comfortable silence. Maria looked at Miles again, watching him stride with his hands shoved inside his coat pockets. She smiled.

_That's why I love him._


	8. Chapter 8

Miles didn't know it, but just about everyone in the Prosecutors Building was aware of his infatuation with Maria. Gossip was about as plentiful as paperwork among the prosecutors, and it wasn't the first or even the third time it had been focused on him. So if he had known about the rumors, he would have been mortified, but not too surprised. The other prosecutors had been careful to keep Miles out of the loop though, as well as Maria. Watching the two interact had become the main source of entertainment in the lobby.

"Hello, Coldstare," Miles said, noticing Maria sitting on one of the benches.

"Hello, Edgeworth," Maria said, looking up from her book.

Miles sat on the opposite side of the bench, at a respectful distance. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm meeting with Detective Skye," Maria said, returning to her book. "What about you?"

"Just waiting for Detective Gumshoe," Miles said.

He tapped his finger soundlessly on the bench, staring at the front door.

"What?" Miles said.

"Hmm?" Maria said. "Nothing, I just turned the page."

"Ah," Miles said. He looked around the lobby, searching for a distraction.

Excluding Miles and Maria, there were two secretaries and seven prosecutors in the lobby. The secretaries were both stationed at their desks, apparently busy with whatever was on their computers. The other prosecutors were scattered around the room in little groups, some drinking coffee and others just chatting. He couldn't help but feel like every time he looked at someone they were instantly focusing their attention somewhere else.

Unable to find something interesting to look at, he tried to think of something else to say. Since he had last seen Phoenix, Miles had taken his words to heart. He was afraid that he'd mess something up, that he still wasn't good enough for Maria. His doubts had made him even more awkward and nervous.

"So how's Missile?" Miles said. The little dog had ended up becoming his wingman, whether he knew it or not.

"Oh, he's doing fine," Maria said. "I left him at home today. He's become much more relaxed and well-behaved."

"That's great," Miles said, hoping it would prompt her to keep talking. It didn't.

He heard someone snicker, and instinctively turned his head to the source of the noise. One of the secretaries jotted a note down on a pad of paper and passed it to the other one, who bit her lip. Miles briefly wondered what they were writing, but couldn't fathom what.

The lobby became incredibly quiet after that. It was as if the ever-building tension between the two prosecutors sitting on the bench had pushed all sound out of the room. For a moment, Miles envied that Maria had brought a book with her. _If he had something to read, I'd have something else to focus on. What is she reading, anyway?_ Out of curiosity, he glanced at her book. Unable to read from the other side of the bench, he ended up looking at her face.

Her face was down as she read; pale green eyes completely transfixed on the text. Her glasses had slid down her nose slightly, and her bangs dangled just above her eyes. Miles tore his eyes away, flustered that he had been staring. _I can't just stare at her! What would she think if she caught me?_

Maria sniffed, and Miles glanced at her again.

"Achoo!" Maria sneezed into her sleeve, and her forehead creased.

"Bless you," Miles said. _She sneezes like a kitten. _He immediately turned to his shoes, embarrassed that he even thought that. _Where did that come from? Should I be concerned for my mental health?_

"Thank you," Maria said.

"You're welcome," Miles said.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he looked to the side. Strangely, two prosecutors were each looking in opposite directions and cautiously linking their index fingers. _Perhaps not just my mental health._

He glanced at Maria again. She was staring at her book intensely. Miles started looking around the room once more, beginning to wonder where Gumshoe was. Time was moving at an unbearably slow pace for him, and no matter what he did he couldn't stop thinking about Maria. _She's right there, just sitting. Nothing special. She's just reading a book and sitting on a bench. Three feet away from me. Looking amazing… Stop staring at her!_

Miles crossed his arms, fixating his gaze on the front door. _I'm making this much more awkward than it needs to be. I can't keep losing my composure like this every time she's in the same room as me. Since when did I become an adolescent again?_

He leaned back, trying to relax or at the very least appear so. _Come to think of it, was I ever like this as an adolescent? I really have changed, haven't I? But have I changed enough? She's just reading, yet I can't get her out of my thoughts. She's brilliant. Surely there's someone out there who could make her happier than I would._

He blew a strand of hair out of his face. _Could I be over thinking this? No, that can't be all there is to it. When is anything ever so simple? _Miles tried to push it out of his mind for the time being. He told himself it didn't matter right now, but it was no use. No matter what he told himself, the brunette prosecutor sitting three feet away would not leave his thoughts.

He looked at her, noticing that for some reason she was staring at the ceiling and her cheeks were pinker. Maria glanced at him and he darted his eyes away.

He tapped his finger, wishing there was a clock in the lobby. _Will Detective Gumshoe ever get here?_

* * *

Time crawled forward, minutes feeling like hours as Miles went in circles around himself. His muddled and awkward train of thought was broken when he heard the front door open. Detectives Skye and Gumshoe walked in, each with documents in their arms.

Miles stood up. "Finally."

Maria stood up as well, slamming her book shut. "Detective Skye, glad you could make it."

"Detective, why weren't you here sooner?" Miles asked, crossing his arms and impatiently tapping his foot.

"But sir," Gumshoe said, slightly confused. "I'm right on time…"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Miles said, glaring at the poor detective. "I assume you have the case details with you?"

"Yes sir," Gumshoe said.

Miles nodded, though he still wasn't pleased. "Good. Now let's go, Detective. Preferably sooner than later."

Gumshoe glanced over to Ema, who was being grilled by Maria.

"But, Ms. Coldstare," Ema said. "It's exactly 2:15. I'm not even a minute late."

Maria glared at her.

Ema looked at Gumshoe then they both faced their respective prosecutor.

"Well, are you just going to stand there or are we going to get something done today?" Maria said, walking out the door with Ema in tow.

"The same goes for us, Gumshoe," Miles said brusquely.

"Oh, but actually I-" Gumshoe started.

"Now," Miles wasn't in the mood to listen to whatever the detective had to say.

Gumshoe sighed, defeated. "Yes sir."

* * *

Miles sat behind his desk, leafing through the case details Gumshoe had given him. They had investigated for most of the afternoon, and now he was completely focused on the case. He started making preparations to present his case for the upcoming trial, using the documents and the notes in his organizer as a guide.

_An ash tray, a nail, a fishing line, and a broken potted plant. Quite a strange case. _He spread out the papers across his desk, shuffling and restacking them as he stored the information into his mind. _Victim died from blunt trauma, estimated time of death between eight and nine in the morning._

He stood up and poured himself a cup of tea, mulling over the facts of the case. _At first it looked like a suicide, there's so much evidence that the victim was murdered it just doesn't seem likely anymore. What was that one piece of evidence again?_

The prosecutor went back to his seat and stared at the scattered mess on his desk. As his reputation dictated, Miles was very clean and organized by nature. However, there were times when he got so absorbed into a case that keeping his desk tidy as he worked would completely slip his mind. _I should really do something about this unsightly habit of mine. I might as well clean this up while I search for the evidence list._

He set about restacking his files and putting papers back in the correct folders. As he lifted another group of documents, an envelope slid out of the stack.

Curious, Miles put the papers down and picked up the envelope. He immediately recognized the handwriting to be Gumshoe's. He read the name on the front, and his head slumped face first onto his desk. _Ms. Coldstare. Brilliant. _For a moment, he wondered if the detective had done it on purpose.

_The last person I need to see, and yet the only one I ever want to talk to. And just when I got her out of my head…_

He sighed into his desk, and his warm breath touched his face in a way that annoyed him. _Or perhaps I'm just annoyed in general. Best to just get this over with._

Pushing all thoughts and reluctance aside, he stood up and walked into the hallway outside his office. He stepped over to Maria's office door, staring at the number on it. _I wonder if I can get Gumshoe's pay docked for this._

Miles knocked on the door and waited for a response. He tapped his foot impatiently, with a little nervousness mixed in. A couple minutes went by, and he knocked again. _I know she's in her office, why won't she respond? _ Suddenly, he recalled being in a similar situation before, and a theory formed in his head. He smirked. _"I don't do this all the time" my foot._

He tested the doorknob, found it was unlocked, and went inside. Exactly as he had suspected, Maria had her nose shoved in a book while she gracefully stepped around the office to the melody coming through her ear buds.

"This is me, for, forever. One of the lost ones," Maria sang. "The one, without a name. Without an honest heart, as compass."

Miles leaned against the wall and watched her. He never understood how Maria was able to move, read and sing at the same time without hurting herself, but he didn't question it. He didn't need to hear the actual song to know she was hitting the notes perfectly, and that her movements were completely in sync with the rhythm.

"Oh how I wish, for soothing rain. All I wish is to dream again. My loving heart, lost with the dark. For hope I'd give my everything," Maria sang, her voice delicate yet powerful.

He listened to her sing, and for the moment he was washed over with serenity. The lyrics were beautiful, and her voice was poetry. Miles had come to love Maria's voice. It had a mesmerizing quality to it, and she always looked so at peace when she sang. However, he knew she was carefully absorbing the information in whatever she was reading. _She truly is one of a kind._

"Walk the dark path. Sleep with angels, call the past for help," Maria sang. "Touch me with your love, and reveal to me my true name."

Miles felt his worries crawl back into the forefront of his mind. _Without a doubt, she's the one for me. But am I the one for her?_

"Oh how I wish, for soothing rain. Oh how I wish to dream again. Once and for all, and all for once, Nemo my name forevermore," Maria elegantly whipped her hair as she spun around and flowingly continued her dance.

_Maria is amazing and free, obviously happy as she is. She doesn't need a man like me. No matter what, some part of me will always be tied down by my past. Perhaps I was just destined to be alone._

"Nemo sailing home," Maria sang. "Nemo letting go."

_…Right? _

He listened to her voice, taken by her effortless grace. Past all his darkness and regrets, Miles knew that at his core he felt clean hearing her voice. He began to question himself further. _Am I truly still surrounded by darkness, or have I simply yet to open my eyes? No, it's not that easy. It can't be; nothing ever is._

Never had Miles been so unsure of himself, going back and forth in his mind. He provided himself multiple lines of logical reasoning proving he wasn't right for the brunette prosecutor. No matter what he did, though, there was another voice in his head. _You're wrong. _

For reasons he couldn't understand, those two words always trumped his logic. _It doesn't make any sense. Why can't I just accept it? I love her, that's great, but it's not enough. That's not enough for her to love me, for me to be by her side. I know it's true!_

_You're wrong. _He looked at Maria, who still had her nose shoved in her book. His internal battle raged on as he watched her, but there was one corner of his mind that wasn't consumed by his conflicting emotions. It was reserved for falling head over heels for Maria again and again, every time he saw her.

"Oh how I wish, for soothing rain. All I wish is to dream again. My loving heart, lost in the dark. For hope I'd give my everything," Maria sang.

Finally, he ended his war and blocked out further thoughts. He sighed. _She deserves the best._

"Oh how I wish, for soothing rain. Oh how I wish to dream again. Once and for all, and all for once, Nemo, my name forevermore."

Without missing a beat or looking away from her book, Maria eased into a slightly more complex pattern of movements. "Name forevermore…"

Carefully not to get in her way, Miles placed the envelope on Maria's desk then went back to the front of the office. Before opening the door, he looked back at Maria. _So maybe… I can improve._

* * *

**_Sorry if Miles ended up sounding like a broken record throughout this chapter, my point was that he couldn't stop going in circles. Also, the beginning may not have turned out as well as it could have. Despite being very much so myself, I don't think I'm all that good at writing awkward scenes. They end up… well, awkward._**

**_The song Maria was singing is called "Nemo", by her favorite band called Nightwish. (Just so we're clear, I don't own this song or this band). _**

**_I have a question for all you wonderful readers regarding this, actually. You see, I was reading one of the older stories and one of the characters would sing a bunch of different songs. At some point I realized that whenever it happened my eyes would glaze over the lyrics until it got back to the story, because it didn't really fit, and it made me wonder about my stuff with Maria and Nightwish. I also recalled that no one ever mentioned it in a review to Turnabout Sparks, not that I'm complaining it's just another connection I made. Singing is meant to be a somewhat important aspect of Maria's character, but for now it's not exactly crucial to the story. Though you will find hints about Maria's character in the songs, I chose the ones that suited her best._**

**_ So I guess what I want to know is, do you care? Please be honest, I want to make this story the best it can be and I certainly won't be offended if you don't like this aspect._**

**_Wow, never knew I was such a talker. This is turning out to be one of my longest author's notes ever. But I probably still forgot something. Oh well, tell me your thoughts. _**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Y'okay! Time for Chapter Nine! I have been dying to write this chapter. I thought it up while listening to True Evening of Grief. It fits this scene perfectly, so you may want to listen to it if you can. _**

**_Also, huge thank-you to everyone who's reviewed so far. You have no idea how much I appreciate it, and I take every one of them to heart. So enjoy this chapter, tell me your thoughts, and expect the tenth chapter next week!_**

Miles froze dead in his tracks. _This isn't good. What should I do? I should have paid attention! _Anxiety squeezed his chest, constricting his breathing. He was usually able to steer them away from this area of the Prosecutors Building without making it obvious, but this time he had been so distracted talking to Maria he had lost track of where they were. _Why did I let her take me here?_

Maria pressed the small white button, and the elevator doors opened.

A thousand words raced through his head in one instant. Adrenaline shot through his system, and while he masked it to the best of his ability, he panicked. For many years, Miles had been terrified of elevators. They weren't his biggest phobia though, and over time he had worked to get over his fear. However, when he discovered a body in an elevator and was accused of murdering the man, he found that he was back to square one. _If I just take the stairs she'll ask why, and I can't let her to find out! Is there any way I can get out of this?_

The brunette prosecutor stepped inside and looked at the him. "Well, aren't you coming?"

His mind went blank. Hating himself more with every step, Miles walked into the elevator. _This woman is going to be the death of me._

The doors shut behind him, trapping him inside and preventing him from changing his mind. _I'm overreacting, nothing is going to happen. Maria isn't actually going to be the death of me._

"Are you alright, Edgeworth?" Maria said.

_… This elevator is._

"Yes, of course I am," Miles said, turning to face her. _Stop it. This is no big deal; it's about time I got over this silly fear anyway. I'll just keep talking to her. There's no reason to be nervous, I'll just talk to… the beautiful, smart girl who makes me nervous that I'm now stuck inside a small space with. Brilliant._

"You're sure?" Maria said. "You don't look well."

_That's because the movement of this death box hanging by a piece of wire is making me sick. _"I assure you, I'm fine."

"Okay then," Maria said, clearly not believing him.

"You don't have to sound so skeptical about it."

"It wasn't skepticism, merely-"

"Disbelief."

"Would it make you feel better if I said you were right?"

"I feel just fine."

"Whatever you say."

"You know, sarcasm is considered the lowest form of wit."

"That's what everyone says when they can't think of a retort."

Miles rolled his eyes, though if he were honest with himself he wasn't really annoyed with her. In a way he couldn't describe, it felt comforting to mince words with her.

Maria adjusted her purse and stepped over to the corner of the elevator. With a jolt the dusky-haired prosecutor was reminded of where he was. _I swear I can feel the elevator moving with every step she takes._

He looked above the panel of buttons and saw that they were on the 6th floor. _We're only halfway there. This must be the slowest elevator… _Miles glanced at Maria, who was leaning against the handrail and reading a book.

_…that's still rocking… and getting worse… You've got to be kidding me. _Suddenly, the world around him shook violently. The two prosecutors screamed, and Miles was thrown into a corner by the intense vibrations.

He gripped the handrail to stop himself from moving anymore, but it was a futile effort when absolutely nothing was still. _Again… It's happening… again…_

Miles shivered as dark and hazy memories flooded into his mind. He could almost feel the gun by his feet, and hear the agonizing howl. His knuckled turned white as his face as he squeezed the rail for dear life.

He blinked, and everything he saw turned dark and nightmarish. In the corner was a limp figure. It was his father, cold and lifeless on the floor. Blood dripped down from his mouth, and Miles watched it fall onto his chest in a cruel, maddening rhythm. It drew his gaze to the hole in his father's suit, a small hole going straight through his heart.

Helpless and afraid, he felt his own heart being punctured. Miles watched his father's blood drip down, each drop causing him to slowly lose his sanity. Just when he felt his body was about to shut down, and let his mind sink deeper into the twisted pain of nightmares, his father's glasses slid down his nose ever so slightly.

Miles blinked rapidly, and the scene before him changed. Maria was huddled in the corner, her glasses crooked and the eyes behind them distant and blank. A man's scream echoed throughout the small room, and finally Miles realized it was his own.

Never had an earthquake terrified him so much since that fateful day, three days after his ninth Christmas. The dizzying feelings of confinement and instability had never felt so real.

_They are real. This is really happening. All of it… _Miles breathing became heavier and heavier. Even as the earthquake receded, his anxiety and fear only got worse. _This is happening again. It's exactly the same, it's just like last time._

Past and present melded together, fading in and out of his mind and sight. He reached the point where he couldn't even tell where he was anymore. Paralyzed, fear was the only thing keeping his eyes open.

By the time he returned to the world around him, everything had stopped moving. Everything except his shivering body and shaky, ragged breathes. An eerie silence spread through the dark elevator. While he knew there were walls around him, he felt lost and alone in an endless abyss. It was black as an unholy, starless night. The only thing he could see was a red number six frozen in place. _We're stuck. Six… Six… D… L… 6…_

Miles felt something shatter inside him, and his quaking turned into frantic movements towards the elevator door. He banged his fists on the solid metal, ignoring the pain that stabbed through him with every strike.

"No! No! No! No! No! No!" Miles rammed into the door with his shoulder repeatedly, more frantic with every miserable failure.

_I can't let this happen again! I have to get out of here! _He shoved all of his weight into the door, but the only evidence of his efforts was the sharp, hollow banging echoing through the elevator.

Hyperventilating now, Miles could only think to try harder. _There has to be a way out of here!_

He heard his name being called from behind him, barely a faint whisper. _Am I hearing voices? I can't stay here! I have to get out!_

_…Edgeworth… Edgeworth… Edgeworth…_

_This is madness! _Miles pounded harder against the door.

"Miles Edgeworth calm down!"

Surprised, Miles turned around with wide, panicky eyes. All he could make out was her silhouette, but he could feel Maria's stern gaze looking down on him.

"What?" Miles said, panting for breath.

"I said, calm down before you hurt yourself," Maria said. "You're acting crazy."

"I am?" Miles said.

"Yes!" Maria said. "What is going on?"

He felt his vision, already hampered by the dark room, fade and blur. The shadows before him, like charcoal dust in a breeze, twisted and swirled. _I'm acting… crazy. I'm pounding and screaming… I'm trapped in an elevator. I can't believe I didn't see it… I'm just like…_

Miles looked at Maria, pure fear in his eyes.

"Stay away from me!" Miles exclaimed, backing into the door.

"Excuse me?" Maria said.

"Just stay back, I don't want to hurt you!" Miles said.

"Hurt me?" Maria said, taking a step forward. "What are you-?"

"Get away from me!" Miles said, backing farther away into a corner.

"You're even more panicked now, calm down," Maria said.

"Don't come any closer!" Miles begged; his tone filled with hopeless despair. "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

He heard her take another step forward. _Why doesn't she get it? I have to keep her away from me! _

"I'm not going to hurt you," Maria said.

"I know that!" Miles said. "Of course you're not going to hurt me! I'm going to hurt you!"

"Why would you want to hurt me?" Maria said, sounding confused.

"I don't want to hurt you," Miles said. "But look at me! I'm banging on a solid metal door, I can't stop shouting; I'm completely delusional! I'm going to kill someone, and you're the only one here! So stay away!"

"Why would you kill me?" Maria said.

"Because I'm just like him!" Miles shouted. "And he's dangerous! Well, he didn't actually kill him, but he killed him later. And I'm almost exactly like him, and he was crazy too, and he did kill him. It never occurred to me that I was like him too, but-"

"Miles, what in the world are you talking about?" Maria said.

"That's not important," Miles said, shaking. "All that matters is that you stay away from me, and you won't get hurt."

Maria didn't respond, and Miles hoped it was a sign that she finally understood. He heard something unzip, followed by the sound of an assortment of things moving around. Suddenly, all the noises stopped.

With a click, a small light illuminated Maria's face. She put her purse down and walked over to Miles.

_A flashlight? Wait, why is she coming closer? Does she want to get hurt? _"Didn't I just tell you to-?"

"Look at me," Maria said, kneeling down to his eye level. "Am I hurt?"

"I…" Miles stared at the brunette prosecutor's face, feeling the shattered fragments of his sanity melt and stir inside him. Everything was confusing and muddled. His heart was either beating at the speed of light, or not at all.

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

His eyes were completely transfixed on her face. "Yes."

"Hmm?" Maria tilted her head.

"Your chin," Miles said, on pins and needles once more. "There's a scratch, it's bleeding. What happened?"

"It is?" Maria said, touching the side of her chin. "Oh, I didn't notice. I must have scratched it on something during the earthquake."

Miles reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, let me stop the bleeding."

"It's just a little scratch, I don't even feel it," Maria said.

"Please, Maria," Miles said. "I need… I need to do something."

"But, it's really not that important," Maria said.

"Please," Miles said, his desperate eyes pleading.

"… Alright, fine," Maria said. "But will you tell me something?"

"What?" Miles said, already dabbing the side of her chin carefully. It was somewhat calming to do something constructive with his pent up nervous energy.

"What were you talking about earlier?" Maria said.

Miles winced, and looked down at the floor. "It was…"

"Don't tell me it was nothing," Maria said.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. _Do I really want to tell her? _

"What has gotten you so freaked out?"

Hearing the concern in her soft voice, Miles felt his rapidly beating heart melt. While he didn't want to admit it, he knew he couldn't hide anything from her anymore. _I suppose I've already humiliated myself, I might as well tell her the whole story. Maybe then we can be done with all of this. _

Miles sighed, and put his focus back into cleaning her scratch. "I don't suppose you've ever heard of DL-6?"

"No, but that sounds like a case file," Maria said.

"It's a murder case," Miles said, steeling himself. _I can't turn back now._

"What happened?" Maria said.

"After a trial had ended, a defense attorney got into an elevator with his son and court bailiff," Miles said. "The bailiff's name was Yanni Yogi, and the defense attorney was the victim… my father, Gregory Edgeworth."

Maria didn't say anything, which he appreciated. He didn't want to dwell on the subject too much.

"While we were all in the elevator, out of nowhere an earthquake broke out. The power was cut off, and the door was shut airtight," Miles said. "That being the case, the oxygen thinned overtime. It put us all on edge; no one was quite in their right mind. Especially the bailiff, Yogi. He started shouting out nonsense, scrambling around and banging at the door."

Miles looked into Maria's eyes. "Remind you of anyone?"

"You acted similar in one instance, but that's not enough for me to say you truly resemble this man," Maria said, matter of factually. "What happened next?"

"Well, my father wasn't very pleased with his behavior," Miles said, turning back to her cut. "Feeling rather high strung himself at the time he snapped at Yogi and tried to reason with him. It only built the tension, and finally Yogi couldn't take it anymore and attacked my father."

"So then this bailiff killed your father?" Maria said.

"That's what the police were saying," Miles said. "However, at his trial Yogi was declared innocent due to lack of evidence."

"Lack of evidence?" Maria said. "They were stuck inside an elevator, who else could it have been?"

"Well, there are other possibilities," Miles said. "And there was one other person in the elevator with them. Me."

Maria shook her head. "You-"

"Don't move, it makes this difficult," Miles said, stilling her head and wiping away every trace of blood. "While Yogi and my father struggled, I merely watched and wished there was something I could do. That's when I felt something heavy at my feet. It was a pistol, probably Yogi's. Though I wasn't really thinking about where it had come from at the time. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. The lack of oxygen had muddled my mind; it was a challenge to stay conscious. Right before I passed out though, I threw the pistol at them. I accidentally fired a bullet, and the last thing I remember hearing was a man screaming in pain. When I awoke hours later in a hospital bed, I was informed that my father had died from a single bullet to the heart."

"Miles, you wouldn't kill anyone. Not even on accident," Maria said.

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward. _I must truly be a madman now, given the circumstances. _"Well, I might have to disagree with you on the accident part."

Miles dabbed at Maria's cut again, and felt that her cheek had grown warmer.

As he continued to needlessly tend to a minor scratch, the words poured out of his mouth. Before he could even think about stopping, he told Maria everything. How he had grown up to become the Demon Prosecutor, dreaming of DL-6 every night, getting accused of murder, finding out his mentor had killed his father out of spite, everything.

Maria just listened, absorbing the information silently.

Finally, Miles reached the end of his tale. While it pained him to recall all those memories, he couldn't have stopped himself he tried once he had gotten started. He reminded himself that it was the truth and the truth must never be hidden. _Now she knows, and she can see me for what I truly am. _He felt his heart ache, but in a way that was different from when he thought about his father or his past. He wasn't mourning what he'd lost, but was pained by what he felt he was about to lose.

"Miles… I'm sorry," Maria said.

"What do you have to apologize for?" Miles said.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have asked…" Maria said timidly.

"It was a long time ago," Miles said, to himself almost as much as to her.

"Still, it must have been very, um, hard to, uh, talk about it," Maria stuttered.

"You're uncomfortable, aren't you?" Miles stated. _It would seem I still can't stop talking._

"I'm not very… comforting, I'm afraid," Maria said. He could tell she was hunching her shoulders.

"Nonsense, you're just fine. You listen, after all. And you're honest," Miles said.

"Oh, um… Thank you. Wait, this isn't about me," Maria said. "You-"

"Its fine, Maria," Miles said.

She dipped her head. "You're… You're too kind, Miles."

_Kind? Did I hear that right? _"Did you…"

Miles put the handkerchief down, and looked straight into two beautiful pale green eyes. He froze. _When did we get so close?_

Their noses were almost touching, and he could feel her warm breath on his face. Neither one moved a centimeter closer, nor a centimeter back. Their eyes were locked onto each other's, and they stayed as they were in stunned silence. In that moment, time had lost its significance. However, Miles was increasing hyperaware of the small space between himself and Maria.

His heart beat so fiercely it was like one continuous vibration. _Right there. She's right… there. So close… Really close…_

He then began to notice the intensely awkward atmosphere around them, so thick you could choke on it. Miles stayed exactly where he was, not daring to move or talk. Though he badly wanted to shift his position, just to release some nervous energy, he feared that anything he did would only make the situation worse. _If I move too much, or the wrong way; we could get even closer. At this distance, I could accidentally kiss her…_

Like a bolt of lightning, fear struck into his heart at the idea. _I can't kiss her! I'm a gentleman! Besides, why would she even want to? Well, I suppose she's not backing away either. Wait, do I want to?_

An explosion of thoughts went through his mind in one moment, and his face turned so red he was thankful for the darkness. _What am I saying? She'd hate me if she knew what was going through my head right now!_

* * *

_We could kiss right now. _Maria stared straight into Miles' stormy grey eyes, unable to look away. _Why am I not moving back? What if he does kiss me?_

_… Do I want him to?_

* * *

_Why can't I think straight? I need to use common sense. If she's not your partner, don't kiss her! _Miles couldn't back away, though. It was as if time itself had frozen, and it might as well have as far as he was concerned. He couldn't move. _This is madness, why can't I just lean back?_

While he knew it was true, he was having a hard time accepting the answer. He didn't want to move back.

_… I could make it look like an accident. _Internally, Miles kicked himself. _I most certainly cannot! Why would I even consider that? How do I even know she'd want me to? She hasn't move back either, but that's not enough. How can I be absolutely sure?_

The moments crawled forward, painfully slow, with the two prosecutors remaining exactly the same. Lost in each other's eyes, and drowning in their own thoughts. _What do I do?_

Neither one remembered moving, but at some point their hands touched. In that instant, all their questions and doubts melted away. Only one thought was left in the dusky-haired man's mind. _I think too much._

They both leaned forward, and Miles completely forgot he was trapped in an elevator.

It was soft and gentle, with a warm, sweet pleasure underneath. He closed his eyes, falling deeper in love with Maria with every passing second. Her left hand fit perfectly in his right, and he never wanted to let go.

Washed over in awe by her delicate touch, Miles caressed her chin and ever so slightly brought her closer. In the one corner of his mind that seemed to function normally, he only hoped it was as gentlemanly as he tried to make it. However, with everything and nothing going through his conscious, he didn't think too hard about it.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed, but eventually they broke away as gently as they had started. Once again, they stared into each other's eyes in complete silence. Only this time, not one thought entered their minds.

Miles looked deeply into Maria's big, innocent, pale green eyes. He brushed the side of her face with his thumb, feeling her cut already beginning to heal. The past and the future didn't even exist as far as he was concerned. In that moment, all he knew was that he would do anything for her.

Suddenly, they heard the elevator door ping. Like a coin in a fountain, reality sunk in and they remembered where they were. Instinctively, they pushed each other away just as the door slid open.

"Rrarf! Rarf, rarf!"

"Mr. Edgeworth, Ms. Coldstare, there you guys are!" Gumshoe said, appearing in the doorway. Missile was by his side.

Miles dashed out of the elevator and took a deep breath. Maria was right behind him.

"Man, this is the last place I would have checked for you guys!" Gumshoe said.

"Detective Gumshoe, what are you doing with Missile?" Miles said.

"I looking for you, Mr. Edgeworth," Gumshoe said. "As soon as the earthquake happened, I ran right to your office but you weren't there! Then I heard Missile scratching at the door from Ms. Coldstare's office. He must have known you guys were in trouble, because as soon as I opened the door he started sniffing around and lead me here."

Missile wagged his tail and looked up at Maria happily. She knelt down and rubbed the little dog behind the ears.

"I see," Miles said. Everything that had happened slowly set in. _My, today has been rather… eventful._

"Are you okay, sir?" Gumshoe said.

"Yes, I'm fine," Miles said, and his brain finally caught up with him.

He was unconscious before he hit the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

It was dark, and Miles felt groggy and unfocused. He couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. _Nngh… where am I? _

He heard muffled sounds in the distance, presumably voices. Something warm and moist gently brushed against his cheek. Whatever it was, it persistently slid over his face. _What is that? It feels like… skin of some kind, maybe?_

"Miles…"

_… Maria? What is she…?_

Feeling his senses return, he opened his eyes to a face that definitely wasn't Maria's. A mere inch from his face was a tawny-furred dog with lively black eyes.

"Missile!" Miles exclaimed, completely awake now.

Missile yapped and licked the prosecutor across the face.

"Hhlaack!" Miles sat up and rubbed his tongue on his coat sleeve. "Ulgh! I had do oben by bouth!"

"Sorry, sir!" Gumshoe said, taking Missile by the collar. "Uh… Glad you're awake!"

Maria hid her mouth behind a book, looking equally embarrassed.

Miles stared at her for a moment, and memories came rushing forward. _Oh, right…_

"Here," Maria said, holding out a white handkerchief. "This is yours."

He paused, unable to look away from her.

…_I've still got my tongue on my sleeve. _He took the white cloth and wiped the dog saliva off his face. "Thank you."

"Sure," Maria said, coyly.

"You passed out on the floor all of sudden, sir," Gumshoe said, oblivious to the growing tension. "What happened?"

"Most likely a delayed shock reaction," Miles said. "Epinephrine was what kept me going. The moment everything around me calmed down, I lost that stamina followed by my consciousness."

"Oh," Gumshoe said. "Are you okay"

"Yes, I'm quite alright."

"Are you sure? It looks like you've got a bright red bloodstain on the corner of your mouth, sir."

_Corner of my…! _Miles quickly rubbed his lips, his cheeks glowing scarlet.

"He's not bleeding," Maria said. "That must be my blood."

"Hmm?" Miles looked up. _Oh, that's right. She doesn't wear red lipstick._

"Your blood?" Gumshoe said.

Maria showed the small scratch on the side of her chin. "That cloth is what wiped all my blood away."

"Of course," Miles said, pocketing the handkerchief.

"So you're alright?" Gumshoe said.

Miles stood up. "Yes, there's no need for concern, Detective."

"Can I ask you something then?" Gumshoe said hesitantly. "What were you doing in an elevator? I didn't think you even knew where it was to be honest, sir."

"Of course I knew where it was," Miles said, avoiding the question.

"Still…" Gumshoe said. He looked at the two prosecutors, who now refused to look at each other. "Oh, now I get it."

"Get what?" Miles said.

"Nothing," Gumshoe said quickly.

Miles raised an eyebrow skeptically. _He's been saying that a lot lately. I wonder why?_

"What brings you here anyway, Detective?" Maria said.

"Missile, remember?" Gumshoe said. "His final test is tomorrow, I have to drop him off at the police station."

"Ah, yes, now I remember," Maria said.

"Well then, you'd best get to that," Miles said. "Have a nice day."

Miles rolled a pen around the desktop with his finger and stared at the paperwork it was on top of. There was no chance of him getting any work done. _Now what do I do? Apologize? Confess everything? I can't avoid her forever. Our offices are right next to each other after all. And I certainly can't act as though it never happened. _

_… I wonder what she thinks of me now. _He pondered it for a minute, rolling his pen back and forth. _She kissed me back didn't she? And it didn't look like she despised me, but it's so hard to read her. Especially around other people, so Gumshoe's presence didn't help. Nor did Missile's… affection, I'm sure. _

Miles sighed._ I can't hide in my office like a coward forever. Maybe it's time I face the consequences of my actions, whatever they may be._

He stayed where he was, twisting his pen around.

_Alright, let's think this through. What's holding me back? Fear. What am I afraid of? That Maria doesn't return my feelings. But she kissed me back, didn't she? Still…_

_The worse she can say is 'no', right? If she does though, won't that just make things awkward? And things aren't now? Either she feels the same way, or she doesn't. If she doesn't, at least we'll have some closure on the matter. If she does… I don't even know what to think. That would be…_

He stood up and walked away from his desk. _No use getting my hopes up. There's only one way to find out the truth._

Miles stepped into the hallway and knocked on Maria's office door. To his dismay, there was no response. He tested the doorknob to see if she just couldn't hear him, but the door was locked tight. _Hmm, she must have gone to the police station with Gumshoe. But that was long over an hour ago. She should be back any minute. Do I wait in the hallway or should I go back to my office? Would standing around in the hallway make me look desperate? I don't want to miss her though, or interrupt her when she's busy. Maybe right now is a bad time, tomorrow might be better. I've probably put her through enough for one day. _

Just as he was about to completely lose his resolve, he saw Maria walking down the hallway. Her face was obscured by the book in front of it.

_Alright, I'll do this now. It doesn't look like she's noticed me yet. I'll just go up and talk to her, it's not that hard. I just have to… what's that phrase? Play it cool. Easy._

Miles took a deep breath and approached Maria.

"Hi, Maria," Miles croaked. He cleared his throat, and cracked a nervous smile.

"Hi, Miles," Maria said, several octaves higher than normal. "Ahem. Uh, allergies."

"You too?" Miles said. _Pull yourself together! _"So, uh, today has been interesting."

"Yes, I agree," Maria hugged her book closer.

The usually calm and collected prosecutor shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. "I should probably apologize-"

"No, you have nothing to apologize for," Maria said, blushing deeply.

"Still, I've put you through a lot. I'd like to… make it up to you, I suppose," Miles rubbed his arm, spilling out words as he desperately searched for the right ones. This was not his area, to say at the least._ Why is this so bloody difficult?_

Maria tilted her head curiously, encouraging him to continue.

"I mean, after all that's happened it would be uncouth of me not to," Miles said. "Wait, that's not what I meant! It's not as if that's the only reason I'm… well, you know. What I'm trying to say is; you're very…"

He sighed, defeated by his own nerves.

"Miles?" Maria said. "Are you… asking me out on a date?"

Miles gripped his arm, staring at the floor. "… Yes."

The bookish prosecutor hunched her shoulders shyly and played with her hair.

_Well, now I've said it. Not quite how I planned it._

"Okay," Maria said.

"Hmm?" Miles said, perking his head up.

"That sounds nice," Maria said, smiling. "I'd love to."

Miles blinked. _She just said… _He straightened up and smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Really?"

"Were you hoping I'd say something different?" Maria said.

"No, that's great," Miles said quickly. "I, ahem, I'm not busy for the most part. Not even tonight. What works best for you?"

"Well, I don't really have any plans for tonight either," Maria said. "Though I do have a couple things I'd like to finish here."

"Perhaps we could meet here in a couple hours?" Miles said.

"Sure," Maria said. "See you then."

"Thank you, Maria," Miles said, and bowed graciously. He looked up at her and smiled.

Maria covered her mouth with her book, but not well enough to fully mask her grin.

So far today Miles had gotten trapped in an elevator, nearly lost his mind, passed out, and was revived by an exuberant dog's wet tongue. However, all he could think about was Maria.

_"Okay."_

_She actually said yes. She genuinely wants to go on a date with me. _

He replayed the scene in his mind for the fifth time as he once again stood in the hallway. _I can't mess this up. If there's one thing Larry taught me, for it would only be one thing at the most, it's that romantic interactions such as this are slippery slopes. Of course, Maria can't be anything like those models he's always with. And I am not Larry Butz. Although in retrospect, he may actually have more knowledge in this area than me…_

His depressing train of thought was interrupted when Maria stepped out of her office and locked the door behind her. She brushed back a lock of brunette hair and adjusted her glasses.

"Hello, Maria," Miles said. His anxieties melted into the background, where they bubbled and smoldered inside. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, did you have any ideas in mind?" Maria said as they started down the hall.

"There's a decent restaurant a couple blocks away, my treat," Miles said.

"That sounds nice, but you don't have to pay," Maria said.

"Nonsense, it isn't as if I can't afford it," Miles said.

"Well, the same goes for me. And I insist."

"But if I'm the one who's choosing where we go-"

"Then I should get to choose who pays."

"That's not where I was going."

They went back and forth continuously as they walked down all twelve flights of stairs and into the lobby.

"Why are you so insistent?"

Maria folded her arms, smirking. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Yes, you could, but I'm asking you," Miles said.

"And I'm paying.

"I have to object."

"We're not in court. And even if we were, we're both prosecutors so we wouldn't be going against each other anyway."

Miles opened the door and stepped outside after Maria. He was met with a rush of cool air, and found it continued as a pleasant, chilling breeze.

"True, but that doesn't change anything. I'm paying."

"No, I don't believe you are."

"I'm merely trying to be a gentleman."

"That's nice, but I'm perfectly capable of it."

"I know you are, but that doesn't mean I can't," Miles said, amused. _She's never going to concede._

"I don't want to make you pay," Maria said, crossing her arms.

"I'm offering."

"I know you are, but I just don't think you should have to."

_Yes, you've made that quite clear. _"You know what, why don't we decide on this later?"

"Alright, I suppose."

The conversation between them died down after that. Miles found himself at a loss for words. Nothing he could think of seemed like the right thing to say. _Do I really not know what to say to her unless we're quarreling? _

He felt a wall forming between them. It had always been there, but he assumed it would disappear if he confessed his feelings. While it was heart lifting to admit he cared about Maria, and find the sentiments were returned, something was still holding him back. _Why can't I break past these barriers? I'm the one who put them up, without even trying. I love being with her in any kind of scenario. So why can't I show it?_

Miles glanced at Maria and noticed that she was shivering. _Oh, that's right. She hates cold weather. Perhaps we should have driven. It's just so close it seemed wasteful at the time. Hmm…_

Shedding his maroon coat, Miles draped it over Maria's shoulders. She looked up at him with a soft tone of surprise.

"You don't have to-"

"Let me do something," Miles said, smirking.

Maria's cheeks glowed pink. "Thank you, Miles."

Miles blinked in surprise. _How long has she been calling me by my first name? _

He felt her hand slip into his hand. Her soft skin was cold and numb, but it filled him with warmth. Silent and gentle, he wrapped his fingers around hers. With her touch, the ice around his heart melted and wall grew thinner.

"You know I have to pay now, right?" Maria said.

"Hmph," Miles gently squeezed her hand. "We'll see about that."

He pretended to read his menu while he watched Maria read hers. _Now what do I say to her? _Miles racked his brain while he skimmed the list of dinner options distractedly. Though far from a dive, the restaurant wasn't particularly fancy or over the top. It was easy to get into, and near the Prosecutors Building, so he had eaten there many times. _But I don't think I've ever come with another person before._

Maria had given him his coat back once they were inside, so she was just wearing her usual black suit now. She read the menu on the table and toyed with her neck scarf. The movement caused her badge to occasionally glimmer in the light.

_She's impossible to read. Does she even want me to say anything? She looks just like she always does. Reading whatever's in front of her, a somewhat indifferent expression on her face… It's kind of pretty. _His eyes were drawn to her shining prosecutor's badge. _That badge looks rather nice on her too. I wonder why she always wears it._

"Is there something on your mind?" Maria said without looking up.

"Why do you ask?" Miles said.

"You're staring at me," Maria said plainly, bringing her menu up.

"Oh, no, I wasn't staring at you," Miles stuttered. "I was just looking at your badge."

"My badge?" Maria said, gazing at him with stern, piercing eyes. "What about it?"

"It just caught my eye, is all," Miles said, reoriented. "No one else wears it."

"Yes, I've noticed that," Maria said, glancing at her badge. "Why is that?"

Miles folded his arms, tapping his finger thoughtfully. "Well, at first I was told it was best to keep it in my pocket. After that I suppose it became a habit. It's not required that you wear your badge, so my guess is no one sees a reason to."

"That makes sense I suppose."

"So what about you, why do you wear it?"

"I've worn it ever since I passed the exam. It's proof of my profession, so it just seems natural that I should wear it. Besides, I like the way it looks."

"Really, you do?"

"Sure. There's something recherché about it, don't you think?"

"Something sought about it?"

"No, 'recherché' as in 'elegant'. It's an English word too, not just French. Kind of like 'touché'."

"Is it now? I had assumed you'd slipped into French again."

"Again?"

"Don't you remember? You've done it a couple times."

Maria covered her mouth with her menu. "I suppose I have."

"You speak several languages, don't you?" Miles said. "What were they all? French, German…"

"Italian, Latin, Borginian, Swedish, and a little Finnish," Maria said. "Oh, and English."

"I kind of guessed that last one," Miles said with a sly smile.

"Right, of course you did," Maria said, blushing.

Slowly, the reserved prosecutors warmed up to each other. Years of holding one's guard up didn't fade away in a matter of minutes, but the atmosphere grew much lighter as the evening wore on. Miles stopped fumbling for words, forgetting his anxiety for the moment. It almost felt as if they were just friends again, casually discussing one of the many things they had in common. Except they were more than friends now, which the feelings he still held back constantly reminded him.

"See anything you like?" Miles said.

"I'm looking at the list of teas," Maria said. "I usually prefer iced tea, but it's been I while since I've had peppermint tea…"

"Peppermint tea, how fitting."

"How so?" Maria said curiously.

_Your sweetness is crisp and refreshing like summer rain, while delicate as flower petals. _"It's a very fitting flavor for this season."

Just then, a waitress walked over to the table with her best 'tip-me' smile.

"Hi, my name is Aitay Cash. I'll be your server. Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress said.

"Jasmine tea, thank you," Miles said.

"I'll have the peppermint tea," Maria said.

"Alright then! I'll be right back," the waitress said. "While I'm here, do you want to order?"

"Sure," the prosecutors said in unison.

Maria crossed her arms and held her head high, but her coloring cheeks revealed her embarrassment.

"Aw," the waitress said. "You guys are, like, the same."

_I'm doing the same thing she is, aren't I? _Miles uncrossed his arms nonchalantly. _We really are similar, I suppose. We share a love of tea, hate to look foolish, fear earthquakes, we've even both been accused of murder._

Miles and Maria took turns ordering, and the waitress jotted everything down in her notepad.

"Alright, got it. So who's the check going to?" the waitress said.

"Me," they said.

_And we're both very competitive._

"Okay then, we'll settle this later," the waitress said, taking the menus and walking away.

Maria looked at Miles haughtily, a challenge in her stern, green eyes. He merely smiled back.

They managed to keep talking until their food arrived. After that, it was discovered that they were both very quiet eaters. So they merely enjoyed each other's presence in comfortable silence. Miles glanced at the book smart prosecutor in front of him as she took a sip from her tea. The steam rising from the hot drink fogged her glasses, making him smile. _I'll never understand it. Sometimes she makes me flustered and embarrassed without even trying, other times being with her completely clears my head of all doubts and frustrations…_

He felt his wallet in his coat pocket. …_And I know exactly what to do._

Maria gently pushed her empty plate away. "Thank you, Miles. This was very nice."

"The pleasure is all mine," Miles said. "I greatly appreciate you accompanying me here."

She placed her hand under the table and smiled. "How sweet."

He returned the smile and reached for his wallet again. "I merely wish to be a gentleman."

"I'm sure you do," Maria said. There was a faint sound of something opening.

Miles felt through his wallet, searching for his credit card. "Did you want anything else while we're here?"

"No, I don't need anything," Maria said. Hanging from the side of her chair, her purse moved around ever so slightly.

The waitress came back with a black leather sleeve. "Did you guys enjoy your meal?"

"Yes, thank you," Miles said, wrapping his fingers around his credit card.

"Great, here's the bill when you're ready," the waitress said, placing it in the middle of the table.

The prosecutors each rushed a hand forward, but Miles was just a little bit faster. He snatched the bill and smirked.

Maria glared at him.

"Come on, just let me pay. It's not that big of a deal," Miles said.

"If it's not a big deal to you then allow me," Maria said, reaching across the table.

"Ah, no," Miles said, keeping it out of her grasp.

"Why not?"

"Why do you want to so badly?"

"Honestly, is this even about paying anymore?"

He shrugged and slid his credit card inside and handed the bill back to the waitress. Maria leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Sorry, but I don't like to lose," Miles said.

"No one does," Maria said dryly.

"I didn't think it would bother you this much, though. You didn't seem to mind when you lost that trial a few days ago."

"That's completely different. Trials aren't wins or losses. If the defendant truly is innocent, I have no issue with that. However, I don't like to lose. Especially not to you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

_Wow, she's annoyed. Is she mad at me? _"I apologize if I've offended you in any way."

Maria gripped her arm and turned away.

"Maria?" Miles said, tilting his head to the side.

She looked back up at him, opened her mouth and froze.

There was an awkward pause. "Yes, Maria?"

Sighing, she turned away again. "I get to pay next time."

"Alright then, sounds fair enough," Miles said. The full force of what she said sank in. _Next time…_

Maria smiled softly.

_Next time._

**_Yeah, Maria was never really mad at him or anything. She's just not very comfortable in situations like this. And neither am I, in terms of writing them. That is to say, I've never done it before until now. So if you caught a specific mistake, or something I need to improve on, don't be shy. You're all awesome, thank you for reading this, and I would greatly appreciate it if you told me your thoughts._**


End file.
